Flash of Genius

One thing's for sure: this movie does not come close to living up to its title phrase. When I first found out about this movie from watching part of it in Econ class, I thought it would be interesting to finish the film to discover the ending; however, it was one of the most predictable and cliche conclusions I have seen in a recent movie.
Starting out with the introduction of a professor who also works as an inventor, Flash of Genius sets up a plot line in which this main character invents the first intermittent windshield wipers and thinks that he is going to be able to sell them to Ford. This is extremely important to Robert Kearns, the protagonist played by Greg Kinnear, as he feels that it will be the best way for him to finally start providing a more steady cash flow to his family and will be an invention that will make a huge impact in the world of automobiles. However, Ford steals his idea and the rest of the movie is Kearns fighting to get credit for his work. This premise sounded interesting to me so I finished the movie. I encourage you not to because all that happens is that he hires a lawyer and finally ditches the lawyer and makes his case for himself, eventually winning back millions of dollars for his patent. The whole time I was watching the trial, I was waiting for a profound argument to emerge from Kearns, symbolizing the climax of the film and the defining moment in which the jury changed their mind. But from hearing Kearns' argument in the film vs Ford's, I would have probably sided with Ford had I been in the jury, even though I know as a viewer that Kearns' invention was, in fact, actually stolen. Yes. That's how bad his arguments were.Yet he still won the case because it's just one of those movies. The plot did not feel inventive and even the lines sounded way too scripted.

The only redeeming part of the film would have to be the prominent theme of individual vs society that seems to always draw in viewers. This, mixed with the idea of getting revenge as one man tries to fight an extremely prominent motor company, makes every viewer root for him, but even that is not enough to make up for the rest of the film. I give it a 2/5.