IMDb > Flash of Genius (2008)
Flash of Genius
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Flash of Genius (2008) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 43 | slideshow) Videos (see all 20)
Flash of Genius (2008) -- This is the first trailer for Flash of Genius, directed by Marc Abraham.
Flash of Genius (2008) -- Clip: The family goes for a test drive
Flash of Genius (2008) -- Interview: Lauren Graham "On Bob and Phyllis' relationship"
Flash of Genius (2008) -- Open-ended Trailer from Universal Pictures
Flash of Genius (2008) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   4,312 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
Writers (WGA):
Philip Railsback (written by)
John Seabrook (article)
Contact:
View company contact information for Flash of Genius on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 October 2008 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Corporations have time, money, and power on their side. All Bob Kearns had was the truth. more
Plot:
Robert Kearns takes on the Detroit automakers who he claims stole his idea for the intermittent windshield wiper. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
1 win more
NewsDesk:
(24 articles)
User Comments:
Needs more inventiveness . . . more (38 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Greg Kinnear ... Bob Kearns
Tim Eddis ... Maryland Cop #1
Warren Belle ... Maryland Cop #2
Karl Pruner ... Pete

Bill Lake ... Scott

Dermot Mulroney ... Gil Previck

Lauren Graham ... Phyllis Kearns
Landon Norris ... Young Dennis
Shae Norris ... Young Kathy
Steven Woodworth ... Young Tim

Victoria Learn ... Young Maureen
Dylan Authors ... Young Patrick
Ronn Sarosiak ... Reverend
Gavin Kuiack ... Baby Bob Jr.
Ben Kuiak ... Baby Bob Jr.
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.
Runtime:
USA:119 min | Canada:119 min (Toronto International Film Festival)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Kearns received many offers from Hollywood for his story over the years but he rejected them all as he didn't trust anyone enough to tell his story properly. Eventually he was won over by Marc Abraham's passion and his promise to keep to the facts as much as possible. The family provided documentation, photographs, home movies and anecdotes, while eldest son Dennis - now a lawyer - represented the family's interests. All in all, the process of getting the Kearns story up onto the big screen took 9 years. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: As the Kearns family is proposing a toast in the diner (celebrating his invention), you can see a white 2008 Acura pulling out of the garage across the street. more
Movie Connections:
References Frankenstein (1931) more
Soundtrack:
Too Many Fish in the Sea more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
"Is Flash of Genius" based on a book?
Didn't a woman invent the windshield wiper?
more
17 out of 25 people found the following comment useful.
Needs more inventiveness . . ., 4 October 2008
Author: John DeSando (jdesando@columbus.rr.com) from Columbus, Ohio

Just imagine over 30 years ago inventing something as useful as the intermittent windshield wiper, a device everyone uses when it rains. Now that's immortality for inventor Bob Kearns, professor and engineer.

What is more astonishing is he was almost forgotten after the Ford Motor Company usurped the design and promoted it as its own. The dramatic tension is Kearns' fight for recognition involving years of personal and familial losses. The two moments of inspiration, the "flash of genius," one a personal eye injury and the other driving in the driving rain, are dramatically satisfying if not downright underplayed (appealing to my minimalist sensibilities).

The film is exciting when Kearns is developing the device with those design inspiration moments fleshed out and the partnering with Ford slowly materializing. The film slows down as if in a school zone when at least a third of the Kearns' time is spent struggling with wife Phyllis Kearns (Lauren Graham) over the cost to them in time and trauma to go after Ford. The dutiful wife suffering the ambitious husband has been played in American cinema and theater too much to be fresh, no different here. The scenes with family, especially his wife, evoke my usual response: All right, already, I get the point. Now get on to the good stuff.

Similarly, Kinnear plays Kearns so low key as to be soporific. Although I don't doubt Kearns was an introverted geek, a dramatic rendition would have enlivened the character without compromising his essence.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Flash of Genius (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Lemon meringue pie regahsof
Intermittent wipers are useless aland-16
the sadest thing jrjka
Reminds me of what Edison did to Nikola Tesla.... Roadghost69
100 Things I learned from Flash of Genius paschel-jd
Modern car in the background..lawl danat86
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