GREG Kinnear, one of the most underrated utility players in contemporary Hollywood, shines with an awards-
caliber glow as an inventor fighting the system in “Flash of Genius.”
Currently in first-rate form as a sarcastic spirit in the comedy “Ghost Town,” Kinnear shows off his versatility and dramatic chops as Robert Kearns, a Detroit professor who’s inspired by an accident to invent the intermittent windshield wiper in the 1960s.
A windshield wiper that would work in light rain was a problem Detroit had been trying to lick for years, and Kearns expects to be amply rewarded for his breakthrough.
He forms a partnership with Gil Previck (Dermot Mulroney), whose family owns a Ford dealership, and they approach the auto giant with a proposal to manufacture the device for Ford.
But as soon as they turn over a prototype, Ford seemingly loses interest. At least until heavily promoted intermittent wipers turn up on some of the company’s fall models and quickly become standard features everywhere.
Previck shies from a battle with a giant corporation he does a lot of business with, but an outraged Kearns is determined to play David to Ford’s Goliath, especially when the company insists Kearns didn’t invent anything.
Resisting Ford’s legal roadblocks – and ever-more lucrative efforts to pay him off without admitting it stole Kearns’ invention – Kearns gradually alienates his students, his employers and his lawyer (Alan Alda).
As Kearns’ paranoia grows over the years and he becomes even more obsessed with justice, he grows alienated from the oldest of his six children, and especially from his long-suffering wife (Lauren Graham).
This true story, inspired by an article in The New Yorker, is more than a little reminiscent of Francis Ford Coppola’s automotive drama “Tucker” – especially in the big showroom scene – though it’s not exactly surprising that there’s a considerably more upbeat ending than the earlier movie.
Marc Abraham, a veteran producer making his directing debut, lacks Coppola’s visual panache and should have cut about 15 minutes of the two-hour running time. It would thus be less, well, intermittently entertaining.
The flaws of “Flash of Genius” are worth putting up with for Kinnear’s committed performance, which is leavened by the actor’s considerable charm and skill with lighter family moments.
When Kearns finally gets his day in court against Ford, it’s a classic Everyman-against-the-system scene straight out of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”
FLASH OF GENIUS
“Tucker” with a happier ending.
Running time: 120 minutes. Rated PG-13 (brief strong language). At the Lincoln Square, the Orpheum, the Village East, others.