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The Movie: Flash of Genius (opening October 17)

The Buzz: Um… Is there any? Honestly, I hadn’t even heard of this movie until I stumbled across the trailer online. But here’s the skinny: Greg Kinnear plays Bob Kearns, the real-life college professor who sued Ford and Chrysler for stealing his idea for the intermittent windshield wiper. The film follows his Romantic (capital “r”) decision to single-handedly defend himself against corporate greed.

On paper, this sounds like snooze-a-teria. Can the trailer convince us there’s life in Flash of Genius?

Find out… after the jump!

The Trailer:

The Review: You know, I didn’t realize how much this summer season of superheroes and high-concept comedies was making me crave a story about real people. Despite the stodginess of the phrase “windshield wiper movie,” the trailer does a good job suggesting this will be a striking story.

I’m especially taken by the look of the trailer, from the “vintage postcard” style of the opening frames to the high-impact color in every shot. The lighting especially gives the preview a sense of unreality, as though we’re obsrving someone’s dream.

Notice how the light works in the first shot of Alan Alda’s office (at 1:24). It seems like the entire room is flooded by a single table lamp in the corner, which is kind of believable, but also kind of impossible. I like being thrown off that way.

(Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Greg Kinnear is the star. I think he’s a fantastic, highly underrated actor. Without him, Baby Mama would have been 40% less awesome, people!)

However, the editing of the trailer also gives me pause. As I said before, the story being told seems predictably Romantic, with a lone, noble hero striving forward with a clear-eyed sense of purpose. And all those eeeevil shots of Anonymous Ford Sleazebags imply there’s no question who’s good and who’s evil.

The late addition of a sentimental song by Dave Matthews Band supports my fear that this movie lives in Sappsville.

And yet… I have hope. It looks like Kinnear’s giving a nice performance, and if it’s handled correctly, the whole “man fights for principles, not for money” angle could actually work. So here’s hoping this movie is a little more Pursuit of Happyness and a little less Great Debaters.

The Rating: 3 Eeevil Ford Motorcars