Grade: B
Although it fails to dazzle, "Flash of Genius" hits home with its message and paves the way for the fall season onslaught of Oscar-bait.
Greg Kinnear stars as Dr. Robert Kearns, a college professor and occasional inventor who, when hit by a "flash of genius," comes up with the idea for the intermittent windshield wiper. Prompted by friends, he takes his idea to the Ford Motor Company (which was unsuccessfully attempting to develop a similar concept) and is drawn into the early stages of production and success.
His dreams are reduced to nothing, however, when Ford suddenly pulls out of the agreement, leaving Kearns without the backing he needs to enter mass production. Not long after, Ford releases its new models, complete with the intermittent windshield wiper - oddly enough, built to the same specifications as Kearns' model. Now faced with the theft of his brainchild and its wildly popular success in the automobile industry, he decides to fight the big, bad corporation for the credit they denied him, risking everything he has.
The film's trailers make it out to be something of an inspirational story, resembling a modern day "David and Goliath." As the film progresses though, it becomes less of a good-triumphs-over-evil, Disney-esque story and enters the realm of reality, where one man may have to stand alone for his cause. The movie shows the evolution of Kearns from a modestly successful college professor to a crusader fighting the injustice the corporate world perpetuates.
This is a film relevant to the times as it features the little guy versus the greedy corporate giant, a situation reminding viewers about the massive corporate scandals that have erupted over the past few years.
"Flash" lives up to its based-on-a-true-story claim almost too well. In an attempt to keep the story as accurate as possible and deliver its message, entertainment value seems to be overlooked. There are blips of humor here and there in the second half of the film, but they almost come too late to resolve the prior lack thereof. What it lacks in excitement, though, it makes up for tenfold in content and message.
"Flash" zeroes in on the issue of ethics in the corporate world, a topic that has become even more relevant since Kearns' epic battle with Ford and especially since the Enron scandal, among other things. Especially now as the FBI begins to probe the recent economic collapses of some of the major financial institutions, the subject of ethics is returning to the spotlight, a spotlight that can be enhanced by a weightier, pertinent film such as this.
Kinnear offers a respectable turn as Kearns, easily emulating first the small-time inventor who dreams of making it big with his grand invention, and then the battle-weary man who has lost so much in his quest to gain to the recognition he deserves. Although there were many opportunities to get carried away by the passionate struggle central to the film, Kinnear managed to strike the right balance between letting the fervor of the moment shine and keeping his role in perspective.
Lauren Graham, Alan Alda and Dermot Mulroney are also noteworthy as Kearns' wife, legal counsel and friend/business partner, respectively.
While it may have missed some of the key elements that make a film entertaining, "Flash" has the capacity to hold the audience's attention from start to finish. Coming out of a season dominated by action, adventure and comedy, "Flash" might be the right transition from summer fluff to the prominent Oscar season films yet to come.
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
