Flash of GeniusMovie Reviews

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 57 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 OK for kids 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Kearns' conflict is readable in Kinnear's every word and gesture. His performance is worth cheering. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Hartlaub

    An enjoyable way to start the Oscar season. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Alda gives the film's strongest performance. Kinnear, often a player of light comedy, does a convincing job of making this quiet, resolute man into a giant slayer. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan

    That movie is not half bad, either. The trial, by comparison, will feel familiar to anyone who has ever watched any David take on any corporate Goliath before a court of law ("Erin Brockovich," "A Civil Action," etc., etc.). Read full review

  • 67
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    The individual components of director Marc Abraham's David-and-Goliath drama are roundly unexceptional; the script, soft and teach-y; the performances, earnest. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    The courtroom scenes emphasize the movie's potency as a David and Goliath saga. But the film's strength lies in its fact-based story of a wronged man turned crusader, played with vigor by Kinnear. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    It's also solidly constructed throughout and the acting is impeccable. The problem is that it just lumbers along for two solid hours, never rising to any significant emotional or philosophical heights. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    It has the tone and texture of a well-made but forgettable television movie. Read full review

  • 50
    Los Angeles Times |

    Wants so much to be liked, even with its prickly, difficult hero, that it misses the mark of nonobviousness necessary not only for a patent, but also for a thrilling, original work. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    Moderately inspiring in the way such true-life stories of "the indomitable human spirit" are always constructed to be. Read full review

View more reviews for Flash of Genius on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+ Inventor fights for recognition in feel-good film.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this fact-based "feel good" drama focuses on a determined man's unflagging quest to receive credit for his invention. Ultimately, it's heartening to see how far he gets, though some scenes may be overwhelming for very young children (for example, when the main character has a nervous breakdown). At times, the protagonist seems neglectful of his marriage and kids, but overall they're close and supportive. There's some swearing (including "s--t" and one use of "f--k"), social drinking, and smoking, but there's no violence or age-inappropriate sexual content.
  • Families can talk about why Robert Kearns' story made a good subject for a movie. How accurate do you think the film is? Why might filmmakers bend the truth when making a movie based on real life? How could you find out more about Kearns if you wanted to? Also, why do you think his struggle took over his life? Why was it so important to him to get credit? Did he go too far? What were the consequences of his obsession? What makes someone an inventor? Was his idea stolen, or are the facts of the case not cut and dried?
The good stuff
  • message true2 Positive messages: A large company betrays a man who decides to fight obsessively to get the credit he thinks is rightfully his. To a certain extent, he sacrifices his family life in doing so. Nevertheless, the family is portrayed as supportive and encouraging, even in times of great difficulty.
What to watch for
  • violence false1 Violence: A man shows up unannounced at a company event and makes a scene; he's ushered out by security. A man throws a drink at a car. Otherwise, the battles are largely in the courtroom.
  • sex false1 Sex: A little bit of kissing and sexual innuendo.
  • language false3 Language: Some use -- at times by children -- of the words "bastard," "damn," and "s--t." One use of "f--k."
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: Since the film is set in Detroit, there are many mentions of the big American automotive companies: Ford, Chrysler, GM. Car decals and logos are displayed, as is signage for dealerships and manufacturers. Some mention of Case Western University and Pepsi.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some social drinking; some smoking by minor characters (accurate for the time period).
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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