Review of Flash of Genius (2008) by Wesley W — 31 Dec 2012

I saw this movie, 'Flash of Genius', the same weekend as 'Ghost Town' (both movies starring Greg Kinnear) and the conclusion I have come it is that they are both outstanding pieces of work and actually found it difficult to split them in terms of a rating.

Ultimately, I'm rating this one ('Flash of Genius') higher but I'm at a loss to really explain why. This is more of a 'thinking' movie, with the central performance from Greg Kinnear a very good one. Lauren Graham ('Gilmore Girls') also performs admirably here as Kinnear's wife.

There is a lot to like about this movie. The performances from Kinnear and Graham aside, the director got it spot on with giving the movie a 1960's feel initially and then also later years as the movie progresses.

Dermot Mulroney also features in this movie, but he does not play a major part - especially as the movie goes on. I find it difficult to separate Mulroney from his best work (in 'The Family Stone') but he performs quite well here.

Another great point from this movie is the surprisingly strong performances from the younger actors - which is quite often a problem in many movies. However the "kids" in this film are very believable and that it a credit to them.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this movie - with what I feel was a brilliant performance from Greg Kinnear at its core.