Flash of Genius

What’s the Story?

The phrase "flash of genius" refers to that moment of epiphany when an inventor discerns a crucial connection that -- hopefully -- leads to an important discovery. In FLASH OF GENIUS, Robert "Bob" Kearns' (Greg Kinnear) moment comes while driving with his family in the rain in the 1960s. Wondering why his windshield wipers, which had only one speed, couldn't work more like an eyelid -- blinking fast or slow as necessary -- the engineering professor and father of six sets out to solve the problem, eventually building an intermittent wiper. He and his friend Gil (Dermot Mulroney) try to sell the invention to Ford Motor Company, and a deal seems imminent. But at the last minute -- after Kearns gives them some valuable information about his gadget -- they decline. Then one day Kearns spies Ford's newest cars shimmying down the road, intermittent wipers working full-time. Kearns is convinced the behemoth company stole his idea and sets out to right the wrong. But at what cost?

Is It Any Good?

Inspired by real-life events, Flash of Genius is -- like its lead actor -- amiable and likable. Its populist tug at the heart is hard to resist (big kudos for making windshield wipers interesting). Kearns is anti-establishment in the purest sense of the word; he doesn't even want the money. He just wants people to know that Ford stole his idea and that he deserves the credit (or so the movie goes). For this, Kinnear -- who appears to be gunning for James Stewart's good-guy-makes-good mantle -- is more than able.

But the film lacks, well, genius. As David-and-Goliath tales go, it's no Rocky. The characters feel flimsy and one-dimensional; had they been rendered more fully and less after school-special-like, the movie would have been far more compelling. (Kearns, after all, did neglect his family; why are they so forgiving? Were they in real life?) As it is, Flash of Genius, while it scores high on the feel-good factor, is a little flat and a lot unsurprising.