Synopsis
In this David vs. Goliath drama based on a true story, college professor Robert Kearns goes up against the giants of the auto industry when they fail to give him credit for inventing intermittent windshield wipers. Kearns doggedly pursues recognition for his invention, as well as the much-deserved financial rewards for the sake of his wife and six kids.
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Cast
- Greg KinnearBob Kearns
- Lauren GrahamPhyllis Kearns
- Dermot MulroneyGil Previck
- Jake AbelDennis
- Daniel RoebuckFrank Sertin
- Mitch PileggiMacklin Tyler
- Tim KelleherCharlie Defao
- Bill SmitrovichJudge Franks
- Conor O'FarrellChris Finley
- Alan AldaGregory Lawson
Recommendations
- 75
Chicago Sun-Times
Alda gives the film's strongest performance. Kinnear, often a player of light comedy, does a convincing job of making this quiet, resolute man into a giant slayer. - 75
Philadelphia Inquirer
Kinnear does what he's done in the past: You underestimate the guy's acting chops, and suddenly, strikingly, he floors you. - 75
The A.V. Club
It's a smart movie for grownups, an increasingly rare commodity. - 67
Entertainment Weekly
The individual components of director Marc Abraham's David-and-Goliath drama are roundly unexceptional; the script, soft and teach-y; the performances, earnest. - 63
ReelViews
In short, Flash of Genius fails to make viewers care with any depth about the story it's telling. - 63
USA Today
The courtroom scenes emphasize the movie's potency as a David and Goliath saga. But the film's strength lies in its fact-based story of a wronged man turned crusader, played with vigor by Kinnear. - 50
The Hollywood Reporter
It's also solidly constructed throughout and the acting is impeccable. The problem is that it just lumbers along for two solid hours, never rising to any significant emotional or philosophical heights. - 50
Variety
Moderately inspiring in the way such true-life stories of "the indomitable human spirit" are always constructed to be.
