Product Information
Dr. Robert Kearns (Greg Kinnear) has a good life. A respected college professor who teaches electrical engineering, he has a lovely wife (Lauren Graham) and six great kids. But first and foremost, Kearns is an inventor. In 1967, he built the intermittent windshield wiper, dubbing it 'Kearns' Blinking Eye', and ultimately shared his patented specs with Ford Motor Company so that he could manufacture the wipers for them. Then he spends his life trying to get Ford to admit that they stole his idea when he spots his invention on Ford cars after they bail out of the deal with him. Kearns isn't after money. In taking on one of the most powerful corporations in America, if not the world, Kearns wants Ford to tell the truth and give credit where credit is due.Product Identifiers
ProducerMichael Lieber, Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber
EAN5055201807649
eBay Product ID (ePID)72598777
Product Key Features
ActorAlan Alda, Greg Kinnear, Mitch Pileggi, Bill Smitrovich, Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney
Film/TV TitleFlash of Genius
DirectorMarc Abraham
LanguageEnglish
Run Time114 Mins
Aspect Ratio16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Release Year2009
FormatDVD
FeaturesWidescreen
GenreDrama, General
Additional Product Features
Number of Discs1
Certificate12A/12
Country/Region of ManufactureUnited States of America
ComposerAaron Zigman
Production DesignerHugo Luczyc-Wyhowski
Additional InformationVeteran producer Marc Abraham makes his feature film debut with FLASH OF GENIUS, based on a true story set in Detroit and spanning multiple decades. Dr. Robert Kearns (Greg Kinnear) has a good life. A respected college professor who teaches electrical engineering, he has a lovely wife (Lauren Graham) and six great kids. But first and foremost, Kearns is an inventor. In 1967, he built the intermittent windshield wiper, dubbing it 'Kearns' Blinking Eye', and ultimately shared his patented specs with Ford Motor Company so that he could manufacture the wipers for them. Then he spends his life trying to get Ford to admit that they stole his idea when he spots his invention on Ford cars after they bail out of the deal with him. Kearns isn't after money. In taking on one of the most powerful corporations in America, if not the world, Kearns wants Ford to tell the truth and give credit where credit is due. At the same time, he wants to protect the patent process for every inventor.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>Kinnear gives a nuanced performance as Kearns, a quirky, church-going family man and professor who slowly descends into paranoia and obsession with reaching his goals. Graham fits the bill as a loving but independent wife and mother who finds herself competing with her husband's quest. Dermot Mulroney is solid as Kearns's childhood friend and early business partner. And it's a treat to see Alan Alda as a justice-seeking lawyer who may or not be able to live up to Kearns's high expectations. FLASH OF GENIUS is based on a John Seabrook article that appeared in The New Yorker in 1993, and his later book of the same name.
ReviewsUSA Today - As a story of dogged perseverance at the cost of a personal life, FLASH OF GENIUS is compelling stuff, Rolling Stone - Kearns' conflict is readable in Kinnear's every word and gesture. His performance is worth cheering
ScreenwriterMarc Abraham, Philip Railsback, Scott Frank
AuthorJean Seabrook
Sound sourceDolby Digital
EditorJill Savitt
Movie/TV TitleFlash Of Genius
Director of PhotographyDante Spinotti
Consumer AdviceContains one use of strong language