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Genius
New York in the 1920s. Max Perkins, a literary editor is the first to sign such subsequent literary greats as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. When a sprawling, chaotic 1,000-page manuscript by an unknown writer falls into his hands, Perkins is convinced he has discovered a literary genius.
Release : | 2016 |
Rating : | 6.5 |
Studio : | Summit Entertainment, Desert Wolf Productions, Michael Grandage Company, |
Crew : | Concept Artist, Conceptual Design, |
Cast : | Colin Firth Jude Law Nicole Kidman Laura Linney Guy Pearce |
Genre : | Drama History |
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Reviews
I love this movie so much
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
When I was in Asheville, North Carolina two years ago in August of 2016 to visit Thomas Wolfe's home, the movie "Genius" had just come out in June and I had planned to see it. Like many, I'm a huge Thomas Wolfe fan. The movie was already out of theaters when I returned home. I didn't know the film was based on A. Scott Berg's book, "Max Perkins" when I happened onto this great biography this April at the University of Chicago's bookstore. So when I rented "Genius" on Saturday and watched it, seeing that it was based on Berg's work, I knew everything had been lined up for me to see it in this manner. Despite what a few of the obnoxious critics wrote, most of whom I'm certain didn't read Berg's book, this movie does provide a fairly accurate presentation of Thomas Wolfe and Maxwell Perkins, based on Berg's book. It's not exact, which is what the critics have jumped on because at the beginning of the movie, it states, "A True Story," not "Based on a True Story," but it most certainly provides a glimpse of who these men were, their relationship, their work together, their personal struggles, etc. All of the scenes in the movie, with the exception of the jazz club, were in the book, just as presented. I would encourage anyone interested in great American literature to see "Genius." Thomas Wolfe could have been somewhat manic, as depicted in the movie - although the extreme level of wildness depicted by Jude Law is one point in the movie that I struggled with throughout the film. When you read his books, that's not the Thomas Wolfe you see in your mind's-eye. He's much more cerebral, contained, but certainly passionate about his work. However, they probably felt they needed the character to have that level of energy to keep the audience's interest. Many thanks to Desert Wolf Productions' John Logan (screenwriter/producer) and James Bagley (producer) for bringing this story to the screen. From my perspective, it's impossible not to be blown away at Thomas Wolfe's incredible talent as a "poet novelist." I hope some of you will read "Look Homeward Angel," "Of Time and the River," and "You Can't Go Home Again." They are pure genius!
Brilliant acting done by actors. Its is beautifully crafted and definitely a masterpiece. Every one should watch it. its worth watching.
An exceptional film, especially for a first movie by a director who has been a television actor and not too prolific. With several moments of intense emotion perfectly developed and interpreted by the three main actors —Firth, Law and Kidman— that are superb all of them. Precious staging, music, lighting, recreation of the ambient of the beginning of the century and all those words, always those beautiful words, at its right time and in its proper place. Probably, over time, it will become one of the best films of the past year. Also I think every writer should see it.
Having recently seen and reviewed, "The man who saw infinity", I didn't expect to see another drama biopic so soon, that could come close to equaling it. This one does come close, but doesn't quite swing it. Jude Law is acceptable, but he struggles here in the role of Thomas Wolfe. You get the impression of a vapid man, who could not be close to someone who could have written Wolfe's novels. It gave the impression of an inadequate portrayal. The accent might have been giving him trouble. Wolfe was one of that great generation of American writers, that produced works the like of which will never be seen again. Firth did a great job in the role of Perkins. So much so, that you weren't listening for the British accent. Kidman was good, but her Australian accent was a little too evident, for a realistic portrayal of a Jewish New York woman. This film, along with the infinity movie, gives me hope that we will see more of these drama biopics, in the times to come. If Law's performance had been better, or Kidman's more realistic, I would have rated it higher than an 8 of 10.