Flash of Genius
Short description
Flash of Genius follows Robert Kearns, a college professor and part-time inventor who develops an intermittent windshield wiper system that could be fitted to virtually any car. He demonstrates the device to Ford, which walks away from the deal, and then finds the same technology appearing on the company's vehicles without credit or payment to him. Kearns, backed by his wife Phyllis and their six children, takes on the American auto industry in court, trading a comfortable life for a long legal fight over recognition and compensation.
Marc Abraham directed the film, his first behind the camera, from a screenplay by Philip Railsback based on John Seabrook's writing on Kearns. Greg Kinnear plays Kearns, with Lauren Graham as Phyllis, and Dermot Mulroney, Jake Abel, Daniel Roebuck and Mitch Pileggi among the supporting cast. Abraham went on to direct I Saw the Light in 2016. Released in 2008 and running 119 minutes, the film holds a 6.0 out of 10 critics' rating from 107 reviews, closely matched by a 6.6 out of 10 on TMDB from around 254 votes, a level of agreement suggesting a modest but generally accepted drama rather than a divisive one.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film slightly shifts the emphasis regarding the actual reasons why Kearns stubbornly refused increasingly larger sums offered by Ford to settle the matter out of court. In reality, he was not so much insisting on a public apology as he was demanding exclusive production rights.
- Director Mark Abraham repeatedly suggested that Stacey Snyder, the head of Universal Studios, change the plot, but she objected, stating that audiences would not like the version of Kearns that Abraham proposed. Abraham continued to insist, arguing that his proposed changes would make the plot more realistic, as he had known and communicated with Kearns for many years. His point of view only prevailed after a change in leadership at the studio.
- When Professor Robert Kerne celebrates the successful operation of his invention in a café, a white car is seen driving past in the window opposite, a model released much later than the film's established time period.
- Contrary to what is shown in the film, Kearns' interests in the case against Ford were defended by professional lawyers, whereas he represented himself only in a subsequent lawsuit against Chrysler (and from a financial standpoint, did so to much greater advantage).
- Robert Kearns was repeatedly approached by Hollywood with offers for a film adaptation, but he was unsure that his story would be told the way it should be, and he rejected all offers. He only gave his consent when Marc Abraham approached him; Abraham was literally obsessed with the idea of making this film and promised to make it as truthfully as possible. Kearns' close associates provided the filmmakers with full access to surviving documents, photographs, home movie footage, and other materials, while Dennis Kearns (the protagonist's eldest son, who became a lawyer) took on the representation of the Kearns family's interests. In total, the process of adapting Kearns' story for the screen took 9 years.
- Mark Abraham instructed Greg Kinnear, who played the lead role, to gain about ten kilograms so that his physique and appearance would better suit the image of a university professor with six children.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
