This is a complex film because it asks some big questions. Is it worth being ethical and being right, if it means the dissolution of your marriage and your family? My gut reaction to that question is no. It's not worth 25 million dollars and exoneration. No amount of money or credit for an invention is worth losing the person you love and the life you are living with your family. In the beginning of the film, we see, despite time and money challenges faced by millions, a close-knit family headed by a loving mother and father who love each other. What price is that worth? There are elements of A Beautiful Mind and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in the film; and those elements work well. Greg Kinnear does the best work of his career in the film, and he deserved a nomination for it. However, this is not a feel-good movie. And one gets the feeling that playing a real-life game of Deal or No Deal with the Ford Motor Company was not the best of ideas by an otherwise intelligent man. Yes, he would have had only a fraction of the money; 1 or 2%. But was it worth losing his wife and life with his children for the other 98%? Was ethics more important than love and family? My impulse would be to say no. A very entertaining film that makes you ask yourself important questions. Well writtern and directed.
Review of Flash of Genius
