Real Genius
1985 Directed by Martha Coolidge
Synopsis
Who ELSE can turn lasers into light shows, aircraft into armchairs, and high-tech into hijinks?
Chris is the top brain who just wants to party, Mitch is the 15-year-old wiz kid, and Lazlo, America's number one brain, literally lives in a world of his own ... Chris' closet. Supposedly hard at work on a lab project with a mysterious deadline, they still find time to use their genius to discover new ways to have fun.
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“The film was inspired and based loosely on actual events at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California” says IMDb and indeed, leafing through the movie’s references to real-life nerdy hijinks, and all the inside Caltech jokes, is an entertaining endeavour.
Not that it necessarily salvages the movie, though. Then again, I suppose it serves me right for trying to watch this 1980s production for the first time in 2012. And it is unmistakably 1980s, with the hair, the make-up, the awesome montages set to the pop hits, and many other things… none of which aged particularly well. Among them the plot, which after half the running time of pure unthrottled zaniness, wakes up and tries to develop some…
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It's kind of a moral imperative to love this film.
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A fun, highly quotable movie from 1985. A college genius program at Pacific Tech and Mitch is the youngest student ever accepted. His roommate is the previous reigning genius the quirky and rebellious Chris Knight, played by Val Kilmer. Together they are working on a high-powered laser program completely unaware of their professor's plans. Oh, and their is a former student, Lazlo Hollyfeld living in their closet.
My favorite scene is the instant ice in the hallway...what fun I could have had with that in college. Chris Knight: "This? This is ice. This is what happens to water when it gets too cold. This? This is Kent. This is what happens to people when they get too sexually frustrated."
Good movie for a lazy weekend and when watching be sure to have plenty of popcorn.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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"Jerry, if you think that by threatening me you can get me to be your slave, well...that's where you're right."
Haven't seen this in a long while, but the recent episode of Filmspotting encouraged a rewatch. Quintessential eighties comedy with just a touch of commentary (secret weapons in the sky suggestive of drones), Real Genius is elevated any time Val Kilmer shows up on screen, spouting sarcasm. There are plenty of funny sight gags (a snoring car; a lecture given by a recording to a classroom of tape recorders) but it's Kilmer's dialogue and delivery more than anything. Unfortunately, too much time is spent in the presence of lesser characters and actors or another montage with a cheesy song accompaniment. Still fun overall.
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Everybody Wants To Rule The World
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Utterly silly, but I loved it.
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I think two thirds of Real Genius are some of the funniest when it comes to 80's comedy. There are so many great gags, silly but hilarious one-liners and Val Kilmer's (in his second role) Chris Knight is one of those incredible iconic 80's characters. And while I have absolutely no complaints about most of the film, I think something doesn't quite click near the end of the film. It loses its steam on the way and there are quite a few scenes with way too much dead air in them. Fortunately, the inventive and sweet-natured end saves it.
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This movie is a lot of fun, kind of like a way before it's time Big Bang Theory if you think about it. A lot of science and 'smart' talk, but Kilmer is great as is the rest of the cast. Atherton is a great mean guy and what they do to his house is fun. I also loved the guy in the closet.
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Fun 80s flick. Pretty cheesy, but has some funny parts. All-around feel good movie.
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Tis a silly film but Kilmer is a hoot.
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“The film was inspired and based loosely on actual events at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California” says IMDb and indeed, leafing through the movie’s references to real-life nerdy hijinks, and all the inside Caltech jokes, is an entertaining endeavour.
Not that it necessarily salvages the movie, though. Then again, I suppose it serves me right for trying to watch this 1980s production for the first time in 2012. And it is unmistakably 1980s, with the hair, the make-up, the awesome montages set to the pop hits, and many other things… none of which aged particularly well. Among them the plot, which after half the running time of pure unthrottled zaniness, wakes up and tries to develop some…