Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Terence Frederick Biopic of Dr. Kearns , the man who invented the intermittent wiper on automobiles. Real story of a Professor and an part-time inventor who wages long-term war with a huge firm for his patent rights. An inspirational character which is to be shown to young minds with little hope. There is a tiny problem with the lead characterization in the movie , imo. Dr. Kearns wasn't made too lovable to the audience esp. the way he denied bribes from Ford and not taking care of the family. Was shown self-centered. The actors did a fine job esp. the superb performance by the lead actor. The bottom line is that the movie has a straight-forward screenplay (little dull) and "without sex or violence" and with minimal profanity. Thus can be seen with kids.

billcr12 A man's obsession with doing the right thing at any cost. Robert Kearns was driving his car during some light rain, and upon becoming annoyed with starting and stopping the windshield wipers with the control button, had his flash of genius about making something to delay the wipers; and the rest is history, as any of us who use intermittent wipers on our modern vehicles knows.The description of the plot gave me doubts, but I must admit that I was wrong, because the story is compelling from beginning to end. Kearns used his basement as a lab for experiments until he is able to make a device that works in a fish tank. He meets with Ford researchers who have been working on a project with the same goal, without success. Kearns is asked to come up with a cost per unit outline. He rents a warehouse to set up production, but becomes concerned when no one calls him back from Ford. They introduce the new Mustang with his idea. They deny the fact that they stole his invention, and as a result, he has a nervous breakdown, and is put in a mental hospital. His wife and children leave him because of his ongoing court battles, and his attorney, Gregory Lawson(Alan Alda) quits the case after Kearns refuses his advice to settle with Ford. Eventually, he finally is victorious, but at great personal cost. Flash of Genius is an outstanding real life drama, and Greg Kinnear is perfect as Kearns.

Robert J. Maxwell There's no reason an interesting -- even a fascinating -- movie couldn't be made about an electrical engineer who invents the now-indispensable intermittent windshield wiper, has the device stolen by the Ford Motor Company, strives for recognition for years, and finally succeeds in court while representing himself.This isn't it, though. We learn practically nothing about the device itself. (I've always been curious about how the thing knows when to make its next swipe. What's it got, an alarm clock?) The story focuses on the man himself, a professor of engineering, played by Greg Kinnear, and on his strenuous and increasingly lonely quest.There are too many flaws to make the movie more than of passing interest. Greg Kinnear is neither a thoughtful nor a forceful actor, for one thing. He's good at being mild mannered, and he's THAT, but not much more. In his refusal to compromise with Ford's settlement offers, he projects not the pride of a man cheated but the dumb-calf stolidity of someone who lives in another dimension and is convinced it's real.The script is so formulaic that it suggests that strictly commercial considerations lay behind it.That "other dimension," for instance. Kinnear's character spends some months in a psychiatric hospital. All we see him do on screen is make late-night calls, speak sharply to his family, ask if his assistant has been talking to the enemy, and finally tear angrily into the engine of a stranger's Ford that has his stolen invention in it. For rudeness, you are avoided. For the destruction of a stranger's engine, you get sued or go to jail. What's missing from this picture is what led to his hospitalization.But then the whole thing seems glossed over with familiar cuts and pastes. We've seen it before, the underdog trying to sue the Great External Auditory Meatus Corporation, having to demonstrate the injustice with only minimal resources at his command."Marie" had Sissy Spacek exposing corruption in politics. "Erin Brokovitch" had Julia Roberts fighting Pacific Gas and Electric. In "A Civil Action," John Travolta sacrificed everything to bring Beatrice Foods and Grace and Co. to justice. "Class Action" pitted Gene Hackman against The Cosmological Automobile Company. Paul Newman almost went nuts trying to get money out of St. Catherine Laboret Hospital in "Verdict." Big Tobacco tried to kill the whistle blower in "Insider." And so on and on and on.Of course not all the heroes in these movies went berserk as Kinnear's character apparently does. But then Ron Howard scored big with a lunatic genius in "A Brilliant Mind," which I would guess accounts for the title of this movie.The guy's wife and kids leave him. That's par for the formula course. His children are estranged. His friends shun him. The Ford representatives offer him $11 million but he refuses it and they think he's stupid. He wants his NAME on that WINDSHIELD WIPER! In court, pro se, he makes a fool of himself at first but then is shown making one or two clever cross examinations and wins the case. He may win, but the audience doesn't.

AudioFileZ When I heard "Flash Of Genius" was about the invention of the intermittent windshield wiper I thought instead of viewing it, perhaps, I might spend my time watching paint dry because it would be of equal entertainment with the added benefit of a freshly painted room. I'm glad I opted to watch the "wiper story" because it is a factual document of one of the world's largest corporations doing what they do on a daily basis, that is to take advantage of their enormous power with little or no regard to the individual...But, I'm glad to report, in this case, having criminal culpability and enormous financial liability.Dr. Bob Kearns was a inventor, college professor, and family man. He solved the deceptively simple task of matching an automobile's windshield wiper wipe frequency to varying rain intensity. Bottom line, he invented the intermittent windshield wiper for the automobile, but he made the mistake of allowing Ford to dissect his invention prior to having an ironclad contract. He trusted Ford to be morally upright and true to their word...Big mistake! What follows is a man's personal descent into Hell. His best friend and business partner bails on him, he suffers a mental breakdown complete with forced hospitalization, more than one or two lawyers claiming to do whatever it takes for justice actually are hoping for fast settlements, and his wife divorces him moving away with their kids. All the while, first Ford, and then all automakers, sell new cars with their miraculous "intermittent wiper" feature. As I watched this I was actually glad I had not owned a Ford vehicle in five or so years! Flash of Genius is "Rudy" by another name and genre. It is akin to David slaying Goliath. It's like cresting Everest in flip-flops, shorts, and a t-shirt! Bob Kearns didn't just win against Ford, he exposed their dishonesty, lack of morals, and treachery in front of the world-a far greater, if not impossible, accomplishment. The story is even better because after exhausting all those high minded "justice seeking" lawyers Bob "took out the garbage" and acted as his own legal counsel. Thus when Dr. Kearns won his settlement Ford also had to pay him legal fees which went 100% to his family. The portrayal of these facts just serve to make the story more rich! For me, Greg Kinnear makes this story come to life. He's not overly sympathetic, but he's completely vulnerable as his old life dissolves into a complete need to have Ford give him his rightful compensation. He deftly plays a brittle, though not completely broken, man who has lost everything save his pride regarding his invention. There is a true low-key brilliance at work here, both in the message and the messenger. If you value true life underdog stories where against all odds the protagonist prevails look no further. A very good film overall I'd say.