Flash of Genius (film)

Infobox Film
name = Flash of Genius


caption = Theatrical release poster
director = Marc Abraham
producer = Roger Birnbaum
Gary Barber
Michael Lieber
writer = Philip Railsback
starring = Greg Kinnear
Lauren Graham
Dermot Mulroney
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = Universal Pictures
released = October 3, 2008
runtime = 119 min.
country = United States
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
amg_id = 1:405349
imdb_id = 1054588
website = http://www.flashofgenius.net/

"Flash of Genius" is a film about the life of Robert Kearns, directed by Marc Abraham and starring Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, and Dermot Mulroney. The screenplay was written by Philip Railsback and based on a 1993 New Yorker magazine article [Seabrook, John, [http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1993/01/11/1993_01_11_038_TNY_CARDS_000363341 "The Flash of Genius: Bob Kearns and his patented windshield wiper have been winning millions of dollars in settlements from the auto industry, and forcing the issue of who owns an idea"] , The New Yorker, January 1993] of the same title by John Seabrook. The film was released on October 3 2008 by Universal Pictures. [cite news | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117983222.html | title=2008 awards season shaping up | author=Pamela McClintock | publisher=Variety | date=2008-03-31 | accessdate=2008-04-01 ]

The title comes from a legal term in patent law, which was in use from 1941 to 1952, called "The Flash of Genius Test" for patentability. It argued that an invention could come to someone out of nowhere and without years of working on it beforehand.

Plot

Robert Kearns takes on the Detroit automakers, namely the Ford Motor Company, whom he accuses of stealing his idea for the intermittent windshield wiper.

Cast

*Greg Kinnear as Bob Kearns, the independent inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper who spent most of his life battling the Detroit automakers he charged with stealing his invention.cite news| url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117966974.html?categoryid=13&cs=1|author=Michael Fleming
title=Kinnear, Graham get 'Flash of Genius'|publisher=Variety Magazine|date=2007-06-14|accessdate=2008-03-06]
*Lauren Graham as Phyllis Kearns, Bob's wife
*Dermot Mulroney as Gil Privick, Kearns' best friend [cite news|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117969175.html?categoryid=13&cs=1|author=Diane Garrett|title=Mulroney joins Kinnear in 'Genius'|publisher=Variety Magazine|date=2007-07-25|accessdate=2008-03-06]
*Alan Alda as Gregory Lawson, Kearns' lawyer
*Mitch Pileggi as a Ford Motor Company executive

References

Further reading

* Horn, John, [http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-genius1-2008sep01,0,453210.story "The struggle to make 'Flash of Genius' : Why producer Marc Abraham chose the story of the guy who invented intermittent windshield wipers as his directorial debut"] , Los Angeles Times, September 1, 2008

* Greenberg, Steve "Gadget Nation: The Journey Through The Eccentric World of Invention" : This new book showcases more than 100 off-beat gadgets and the inventors behind them, www.gadgetnation.net Sterling Publishing May 2008

* Monaghan, John, [http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080928/ENT01/809280312 " 'Flash of Genius' tells story of Detroiter who fought a corporation : Robert Kearns battled automakers to win credit for his prized invention: intermittent windshield wipers"] , Detroit Free Press, September 28, 2008

External links

*
* [http://us.macmillan.com/flashofgenius "Flash of Genius" (book) by John Seabrook]