Real Genius
Recently
I've gotten into collecting 4K Blu-Rays of some of my favorite
movies. I like to think of myself as a purveyor of the classics,
but in reality my movie knowledge is mostly contained to a wide
but shallow array of 80's movies, especially comedies. In the
wake of the passing of Val Kilmer, I had a re-watch of one of my
favorites, Real Genius, and it leapt out at me as being
cut from a different cloth from its contemporaries in a way that
I can really appreciate.
In
this film we follow Mitch Taylor, a high school prodigy
recruited to a university to work on a special laser project
alongside eccentric genius Chris Knight. Mitch, being much
younger than his fellow classmates, struggles with his difficult
work load while Chris prefers to take things easy and indulge
himself in college life. Eventually they learn that the project
they've been working on is planned to be used as a government
weapon, and they plan revenge against the professor that tricked
them, in a scheme that could only be described as genius.
It's
not an unfamiliar premise, especially for the era - the college
comedy had become a cinema staple ever since Animal House
was released in '78 - you could even consider it past its prime,
another movie fad that passed seven years after the craze.
Considering the films' progenitors, it's hard to argue
otherwise. Movies like Porky's or Private School play
mostly as an excuse for lewd imagery with weak stories and
unfunny jokes. Regardless of your opinion on sex and nudity,
it's hard to argue that these movies are very substantive
otherwise.
What
makes Real Genius a cut above the rest for me is how it
is a crazy teen sci-fi story that respects its characters and
how they are portrayed. In a school setting such as this one,
it's easy to reduce characters to stereotypes with very little
depth. Director Martha Coolidge spoke to this idea in a
contemporary interview in The Washington Post - very aware
of the genre's reputation, she elevates it to something greater,
something that stands on its own as a movie unburdened by the
clichés of its genre. Giving the characters relatable emotions
and motivations is what makes the difference between a title on
a marquee and a film that really holds your interest.
And
this is all without any word on the visual or auditory elements
of the movie! I love the designs of the dormitories recreated
from Caltech, replicated so faithfully it feels like a real
student dorm. The use of cinematic widescreen allows for some
great shots, filling the frame with detail of laser equipment
and the desks of students. The laser effects, all checked by
real laser professionals, hold up great even decades later. And
the 80's pop soundtrack is excellent, with The Comsat Angels,
Bryan Adams, Chaz Jankel, all capped off with "Everybody Wants
to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears.
It's
easy to recommend this movie to anyone who loves its era as much
as I do, but I also think this movie would go over well with a
more modern audience. There's a lot to like and it's all in very
good taste. There are teen movies from every era that feel
disposable and cynical, but this is not one of them. Real
Genius is, not unlike its characters, much too smart to
fall victim to the pitfalls of the world around them.
In
Memory of Val Kilmer
December 31, 1959 - April 1, 2025
