by Thomas Ferguson

David and Goliath cometh...again! The little man  taking on the big corporation storyline has been told time and time again. This time, David is being played by Greg Kinnear and Goliath is the Ford Automotive Corporation. Based on a true story, Flash of Genius tries to tell an inspirational story about never giving up. “Tries”...being the key word.

Robert Kearns (Kinnear) is a college professor by day and a talented inventor by night. In 1969, Robert invented the intermittent windshield wiper- the device used to adjust the speed of the wiper. After determining the need for such a devise, Kearns and the rest of his family, invent the device all the major automotive companies have been scrambling to put together.

Ford is the top company at that time and the one he meets with first. They wine and dine him until he lets his cautious guard down. Once he does, the company secretly mass produces the device and before he knows it, Kearns is out of the deal altogether. Not even the patent he placed on the device can help him win against the unstoppable company.

Kearns goes on a crusade for justice. He turns down numerous monetary offers from the company in an attempt to get the only thing important to him... credit for the invention. In the process, he looses his job, his friends, and even his family. Years pass and finally he gets his day in court, but the price getting there is much higher than he could have ever imagined.

Flash of Genius is a mediocre movie at best. There is a great message at the core, but the way this story was told seemed a bit ordinary and uninspired. I felt Robert Kearns’ story needs to be told, but it could have been told in a movie of the week on television.

The only thing pushing this movie forward were the performances. Gilmore Girls’ Lauren Graham did a good job as Kearns’ wife.  Alan Alda shined in a supporting role as his attorney, but it was Kinnear who truly lit up the screen. In my opinion, giving the best performance of his career. Too bad the movie doesn’t live up to his performance.