Monday, March 9, 2009

Flash of Genius - DVD Review

FLASH OF GENIUS (**1/2) - Starring Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney, Alan Alda and Mitch Pileggi.
Directed by Marc Abraham.

Act One: Bob Kearns (Kinnear) invents the intermittant windshield-wiper and arranges to seel it to Ford. Ford backs out of the deal, but then uses Kearns' design in what they claim is their own invention of the intermittant windshield-wiper.

Act Two: Over the next twelve years, little guy Kearns fights against Big Corporation Ford with their high-priced lawyers and intimidation tactics. Meanwhile everyone around Kearns loses faith in him and wishes he'd just give up. His wife leaves him.

Act Three: Kearns finally gets his day in court with Ford, acting as his own lawyer.

It's a true story, and while there is some satisfaction over Kearns finally getting to the big auto industry, I couldn't help but feel at the end, was it really worth it if it cost him his marriage?

No comments: