Genius (2016)

That was an excellent one.

hyped garbage

disgusting, overrated, pointless

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

With an incredible cast of Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce, Laura Linney, and Dominic West, be prepared for some wonderful acting in Genius. It's a movie about the real-life editor Max Perkins who worked with famous authors, but while a few scenes touch on his relationships with F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, the majority of the film is devoted to his work with Thomas Wolfe.While there is a lot to appreciate in this movie, namely Colin Firth's emotion and Jude Law's energy, I couldn't ignore the overall feel that John Logan's script didn't quite know what direction it wanted to take. Since the film is about a very wordy writer and the quest to cut down his manuscript before publication, perhaps Logan purposely wrote his script with that tone, so that the screenplay mirrored the plot's difficulty. If it was done on purpose, it was very clever and well done. If it wasn't, then the storyline coincidentally explores many different avenues without taking the time to fully finish or flesh out any of them.There's a particular scene that I remember most vividly: Colin and Jude and working to cut down his manuscript, and a passage is read aloud about the protagonist falling in love at first sight. He describes the woman's appearance, and it's so beautifully poetic, I was almost moved to tears. At the end of the scene, Jude agrees to cut the entire description, leaving only, "Eugene saw a woman. Her eyes were blue. So quickly did he fall for her that no one in the room even heard the sound." After hearing the original prose, I was so disappointed! The scene was supposed to illustrate the fantastic working relationship between the two, and to show what a great editor Colin is, but I would have rather seen Jude's works published in its entirety, split into many volumes. The loss of such beautiful words made me lose my appetite for the rest of the film.If you're a sucker for 1930s period pieces and love the cast, you'll probably be entertained by Genius. It's not a film I want to watch again, but I do like to appreciate good acting. Although, Jude Law's over-the-top accent made me think he was faking his identity and was somehow trying to scam Colin Firth. And Guy Pearce's depressive portrayal of F. Scott Fitzgerald isn't at all how the author's fans would like to remember him, but there's always Midnight in Paris for a more likable, upbeat interpretation.

This movie was based on a book called Max Perkins: Editor of Genius. I didn't know this until after I was done with the movie, but had thought it was supposed to be about Perkins, but the character of Wolfe becomes so big that it quickly overshadows his editor. I find this very disheartening being as much of what made Wolfe so big were based on lies. Much of the movie is filled with exaggerations and out-n-out untruths. Until about half-way through the movie I wasn't really enjoying it; I found it slow and actually quite boring. The character of Wolfe, at first, kept me watching until I came to absolutely loathe him and it was at that point when I fully realized why I wasn't enjoying this movie. I hated Wolfe! Once that occurred and I was able to focus on Perkins the movie turned a corner for me and I was able to sit back and enjoy it. Oh, and the only time I really liked Wolfe was at the end when he wrote Perkins that lovely letter. To awake from a coma and ask for a pencil to write to someone and to hear it read at the end of the movie was very moving to me. I actually cried!! To find out later that isn't what happened, that Wolfe never regained consciousness, that he wrote it while in the hospital with pneumonia, infuriated me!! It was one of few things I liked about him and it didn't happen. Jude Law was wonderful, as usual. I can't remember a movie that he was in that I didn't like. Collin Firth, amazing. Absolutely loved him in The King's Speech, so it was nice to see him in a movie again. And, of course I LOVED Nicole Kidman. It is my opinion that the actors in this movie were drowned out by the writing and the film itself!

Tells the tale of Max Perkins, Scribner editor extraordinaire who discovered and helped craft the books of Thomas Wolfe, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald et al. An interesting look at how long it takes to publish a book and the relationships that enfold, swell and sometimes break. This movie appealed to me due to the cast of actors. They did a great job with what could have otherwise been dull subject matter.

Grotesque! Did the writer take the trouble to read Wolfe? Did Jude Law only read Wolfe? Did Nicole Kidman read the correspondence between Thomas and Aline? It is to be believed that nobody wanted to check facts and people as they were. Wolfe was a shy giant, but the script depicts him as an unstoppable narcissist. The twentieth century gives two geniuses to American literature: William Faulkner and Thomas Clayton Wolfe. This movie is an insult made to the second. Do not go see it, rather take the time to read or reread Wolfe. Wants to know more about the Wolfe- Perkins relationship? Read "To Loot My Life Clean: The Thomas Wolfe- Maxwell Perkins Correspondence". Mr. Law, you may have interpreted the character of the script correctly, but your duty was first and foremost to find out who the real Thomas Wolfe was.