Flash of Genius (2009)
Directed by Marc Abraham
Written by Phillip Railsback
Starring Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney
Release Date October 3rd, 2009
Published October 4th, 2009
The story of Robert Kearns battle with Ford and the rest of the Detroit automakers is a classic David Vs Goliath story. Kearns invented the intermittent windshield wiper and then, as he was pitching his invention to the car companies, it was stolen. The specs for his invention were simply ripped off by execs at Ford who used them as a feature on their new line of Mustangs.
That was back in the mid 1960's. It wasn't until the early 80's that Kearns finally won a verdict against the auto companies. Turning Kearns' struggle into a movie director Marc Abraham and writer John Railsback have unfortunately cut more corners than the Ford company.
Greg Kinnear stars in Flash of Genius as Dr. Robert Kearns a professor of engineering. One day as he was driving his family home during a rain storm he had an epiphany. Why couldn't the car companies include a feature that would allow the windshield wipers to adjust to changing rain conditions. When he returned home he set to work on his wife's car.
Several months later Kearns cracked the secret and with the help of his best friend Gil Previck (Dermot Mulroney), a car dealer with connections in Detroit, he got a meeting at Ford. The engineers were impressed as was management. The hitch, Kearns wanted to manufacture the wipers himself. Ford agreed in principle but after Kearns submitted his specs to Washington for government safety tests, Ford pulled the plug.
Years later, as Kearns waits for another company to take an interest, he see's Ford's new Mustang and on a rainy night see's the wipers moving intermittently. Despite he and Gil holding the patents, Ford denies having met them and a years long battle for the credit and recognition of Robert Kearns invention begins.
Director Marc Abraham has a good story and a pitch perfect performance from Greg Kinnear to work with. Unfortunately, the script from John Railsback features more sappy cliches than there are features on a Ford car. Heavy on the melodrama, Kearns' home life with six kids and a beautiful wife played by Lauren Graham is where Flash of Genius finds it's biggest problems.
The home life plot clicks along hitting every cliche like clockwork. Graham moves slowly from supportive to nervous to ill to out the door. Kearns' oldest son moves in the same clockwork motion as mom until he is needed for an emotional boost in the third act.
Greg Kinnear commits himself fully to the role of Robert Kearns and infuses the role with a quiet, dignified passion. He gets the crazy eyes from time to time but always keeps it within reason. Kearns' own commitment is certainly questionable, especially after everyone in his life drops him, but Kinnear helps you over the most questionable moments by helping you believe why Kearns did what he did.
Dramatically, there are issues not just in the family story but in the legal one. A good deal of the case rides on a decision by Gil Previck not to testify on his friends behalf. I don't know how Gil Previck's story played out but here, the whole movie turns on him being selfish bastard and Robert Kearns remaining his friend. Huh? Then again, even as Ford was stealing from him, Kearns kept driving Fords.
I liked the fact that Flash of Genius is earnest in a very old Hollywood sort of way. There is no irony or distance from the material. The old Hollywood; one man against the world set up is a good one. However, the filmmakers commitment to old Hollywood cliches undermines much of the good in Flash of Genius. I really enjoyed Greg Kinnear's performance. Modest and understated in ways he never has been before, Kinnear nearly makes the whole thing work.
Sadly, the cliches and an overlong edit make Flash of Genius something of a slog.
