Flash of Genius – Review

Rating: 3 out of 5 

DR ROBERT Kearns was an engineering professor at America’s Wayne State University who, in the late ‘60s, successfully invented the intermittent windshield wiper.

He subsequently took his invention to the Ford Motor Company, who accepted it. But after a brief stint as a consultant, he was told that Ford was no longer interested in the project and his assistance was no longer required.

A couple of years, later, however, Kearns began seeing new cars on the road that were using the same intermittent wiper he’d designed and, after taking one apart, he discovered that it was the invention he’d brought to Ford.

The motor giant claimed it had already been working on the idea and didn’t need to use his patent to manufacture and install the wiper into its line of cars. But Kearns took them to court and, after 12 years, succeeded in proving his case.

Flash of Genius chronicles Kearns’ story, from the moment he conceived the idea, through to his courtroom victory. It’s an engaging David vs Goliath story that takes on extra resonance given today’s economic climate.

However, it does also require some patience, given the nature of the story itself and the single-minded determination that enabled Kearns to eventually triumph against the odds.

The film does, of course, benefit from the presence of Greg Kinnear as Kearns, whose natural charisma easily offsets some of the darker elements of Kearns’ story (his commitment to exposing Ford did cost him his marriage).

But at almost two hours, the film does feel like a long journey, even though the final courtroom sequence does deliver the right kind of feel-good cheer.

Director Marc Abraham deserves credit, too, for displaying such a keen eye for period detail and not shying away from some of the darker elements of Kearns’ story. There are times when audiences will probably feel he should have walked away… and Abraham doesn’t shirk from showing them.

And while the subject matter will probably deter a lot of people from seeing it, those that do should find a genuinely heart-warming people tale that guarantees you’ll never look at a wiper blade in the same way again!

Certificate: 12A
Running time: 119mins
UK Release Date: March 20, 2009