“Flash of Genius” is an intriguing mix of intellectual discovery, entrepreneurial challenge, corporate malfeasance and the potential damages of a relentless personal quest.
It’s not a movie for every teenager. The action can be slow, and there are no love stories, cute pets, car chases or body- function jokes to change the mood. But for a family with older teenagers in search of a meaty story, a slice of history and quietly competent acting, “Flash of Genius” is a nice pick to watch with all generations. And that includes grandparents, for whom a 1961 Ford Fairlane was an aspirational vehicle.
“Flash” tells the true story of inventor Bob Kearns, played by the always-broadening Greg Kinnear. Kearns was a Detroit teacher who tinkered on the side, at a time when none of the big three auto companies had put intermittent wipers on their cars.
Kearns toyed with the wipers because of a personal injury: He’d popped a champagne cork into his eye socket on his wedding night, and his eyes teared up thereafter. He thought about blinking, and wondered why a wiper blade couldn’t wipe when you needed it to instead of only every two seconds.
When Kearns came up with the solution, he tried to sell it to the auto manufacturers. But his own stubbornness got in the way. He insisted on producing the kits himself, and the delays allowed Ford to launch its own intermittent wiper. Kearns eventually decided to sue, and his quest for justice broke up his family and sent him briefly to a mental hospital.
“Flash” is a bit long, but the courtroom drama where Kearns serves as his own attorney and questions himself is a nice climax. It becomes a winning story of man versus faceless corporation, and the pursuit of truth versus settling for a lucrative half-truth.
“Flash of Genius”
Rated: PG-13 for brief profanity.
Best suited for: Multigenerational viewing, grandparents, parents and teenagers interested in inventions, law or corporate wrongdoing.
