Movies: Flash of Genius

The inspiring story of the little guy versus the big corporation is a cherished Hollywood trope, but "Flash of Genius," starring Greg Kinnear, adds an intellectual property riff to the proceedings:



Kinnear plays Robert Kearns, an inventor who finds himself locked into a long-running legal battle with Ford Motor Company after he sues them for infringing his windshield wiper patent. Predictably, the lawsuit takes an enormous toll on his personal and professional life, especially his relationship with his wife (played by Lauren Graham) and his children.

Reading the New Yorker article that the film was based on reveals a more complex story, especially if you're at all familiar with how the U.S. patent system works. The movie never really considers the problem that Kearns' invention might be obvious (the use of a resistor and capacitor combination as a timing device was well-known by 1963), or whether Kearns' patent is functioning more to impede technological progress than to promote it. Mention "patent troll" or "patent thicket" to a group of IP lawyers and you're bound to get some lively discussion, but I guess those issues doesn't interest a mainstream audience.

"Flash of Genius," in cinematic terms, works well. Kinnear is excellent as Kearns, portraying him as a singularly driven and even somewhat unlikable man. Kearns allows the lawsuit to dominate his life, and, eventually, the lives of his children. The movie plays fast and loose with some minor facts, but overall it's pretty close to what actually happened. Director Marc Abraham even gives us a not-so-Hollywood ending that says more about what Kearns lost than what he won.

Rating: 7/10