Customer Reviews

Real Genius

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

this film is awesome.i loved it.it's only Val Kilmer's second feature
film,the first being Top Secret a year earlier.basically,it all about a
college full of misfit geniuses and the mischief they get into,since
most of them don't have to study.there are some very quirky
characters,and some pretty funny pranks.but it's not all fun and
games.there are some serious moments.though for sheer zaniness,it's
hard to beat this film.the music,especially by Tears for Fears took me
back in time to the 80's.if you're looking for high art,this movie is
far from it.but,if you just wanna sit back,turn your brain off,and have
some fun,this could be you movie.for me,it's a perfect 5/5

This is one of those movies that stays fun no matter how many times you see it year after year. Val Kilmer had made a couple of movies before this one, but this was his breakout role as the genius Chris Knight - a senior in college working on a project for his professor that he is largely indifferent to completing. Along comes the underage freshman, Mitch Taylor (wonderfully played by Gabriel Jarrett), who has been recruited to help finish the project.

The movie is really about Mitch finding his way in a high-pressure college situation. He endures Kent, the jerk that tortures him and who works in the same lab. Kent is not untalented, but not a genius like Chris or Mitch and resents the favoritism genius claims. Kent tries to get attention by sucking up to Prof. Hathaway (brilliantly played in all his corruption by William Atherton), but never gets what he is seeking.

As just one minor example of the riches in this movie is the scene when Mitch is going to a packed math class. Soon people start bringing small tape recorders to class and not attending. Mitch is one of the few actually listening to the prof. Finally, Mitch is the only one in the class, even the prof becomes a reel-to-reel tape player with a sign attached that says encourages the students to listen carefully. While changes in technology would make that scene impossible today, it is still wonderfully effective.

Mitch also meets Jordan, a girl who is so hyperactive she doesn't sleep, finds time to invent things as well as resurface the floor in her dorm room. Jordan is magnificently played by Michelle Myrink and is one of those characters you wish you knew in real life as a friend. Although, frankly, Jordan would be exhausting to know. But her intelligence, innocence and kindness would more than compensate for the energy you would have to expend keeping up with her.

The movie is populated with wonderful characters of all sorts. The plot is hung on a very 80s theme, but that's OK, the final scene draws it all together in spectacular and funny way.

A classic.

Real Genius is definitely a great film. I don't know that I would say it is Kilmer's best, but it does show off his considerable comic talent, and I consider it one of his best.

It is a delightful college romp with geeks aplenty, and the humor is a lot classier than Animal House, which is another good college flick. It is full of subtle and not so subtle satire on society, such as the botched saying ("like shooting ducks in a barrel") in the slick video boardroom presentation for the weapon concept, and the remark from one general after hearing about having a working weapon system by June - "Don't ask me, I haven't had a working weapon system since Korea."

I can't add anything about the Cal Tech trivia, but it did seem to me that the limo used for the weapon test looked an awful lot like JFK's ill-fated Dallas limo. Veiled commentary about the Military-Industrial Complex?

There is, of course, lots of geek/college humor, but nothing really gross. The sexual humor and references are pretty light, well handled, and fit in with the story. The humor covers the social commentary well, and the film makes its statements without preaching. It is a film I recommend to all students entering college. It is also one of those films that I watch regularly to boost my spirits and have a good time. It reminds one not to take onself too seriously. Highly recommended.

The movie itself is great. Cheesy, but a true 80s classic. Unfortunately, this DVD version is horrible. If you already own the VHS, don't bother with the DVD. There is nothing extra on the DVD at all. No commentary, no notes, no trivia, no cast info, no original trailers, nothing. Totally slapped together. I'm sick of McDVDs like this. Personally, I'm waiting for the Special Edition that you *just know* they will crank out once the market is saturated with this version.

"Smart people on ice!"

Missing geniuses found living in student's closets

Apples that spontaneously combust on the teacher's desk

These are but some of the classic moments from "Real Genius", a rare overlooked gem of 80's flicks. If you have not seen this movie, you are truly missing some of the best comic writing and acting college humor has to offer.

For the nostalgic children of the 80's, this is a must-have.

Every college student should own the movie "Animal House". But every college geek should own "Real Genius" as well. It's really just a crazy story about college students who are way to smart for their own good. Sure, they have a subplot regarding the ethical use of technologies the world's great minds come up with, but it's really all about the oddities. We've got a number one math genius living in a dorm closet. A whacky, slacker genius wrecking havoc on his fellow students (very amusingly played by Val Kilmer), lasers, and popcorn!

You can't go wrong with that. Now can you?

Like "the manhattan project" and "wargames", this is a smart, funny, and endearing 80s movie with an important message about the responsibility that comes with intelligence and privelege. In all three movies, we forgive the bright but naive high school kids for their actions (building a military laser, building a nucler weapon, hacking into military computers) because they are ethical human beings who try to do right. Their morality puts into sharp relief the profound immoralities of authoritarian institutions and the cowardice or fear that causes people to participate in them.

While this movie is loads of fun, to really understand it, you need to be immersed in the MIT-style hacker culture. All the elements are there: A tough institute of technology, the zany mixture of brilliance and adolescence, the MIT-style pranks, the semi-controlled anarchy that let hackers do their thing, and do it in style, all the while theses were written, patents issued, fat grants obtained, and the army and air force got their new toys.

The movie centers on the controvertial symbiosis between the academia (a place were technological and scientific breakthroughs are made) and the military-government-industrial establishment that finances this "pure science". While the movie is cast in an 80's setting with the area of research being physics, the story seems to parallel the sixties and seventies, when the army and air force financed much of the research at what became the MIT AI lab -- research in robotics, vision, artificial intelligence, programming langauges -- with an abundance of military applications.

A great book to read either before or after the watching the movie is "Hackers" by Steven Levy. The parallels to this movie are astounding.

When I think genius the first name that comes to mind is of course, Sir Val Kilmer. I mean, hes at least in my top 4 favorite Batmans ever! Real Genius is a creative masterpiece combining elaborate plot with cutting edge special effects. I won't give away the ending, but all I'm saying is I hope your hungry...very hungry. Val ability to thrawt the plans of his power-hungry professors gives all us dreamers the hope that we can one day fight adversity in such a noble way. I cant say enough about this movie, but I shall leave you with this: Following in the footsteps of such greats as Brando, Newman, and De Niro, Mr. Kilmer gives a preformence that dare I say is in a league of his own.

This was a great movie when it came out. The jokes were in, they hairstyle and dialugue is witty. And its cool to see Kilmer before his macho roles after this one. I'm just not sure how this generation would respond to the movie.