Real Genius

"When he gets mad, he doesn't get even… he gets creative."

1985 1h 46m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🍅

77%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.9

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 526🍅77%Rotten Tomatoes●71Metacritic★6.9IMDB · 41,090

ComedyRomanceScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When teenage geniuses Mitch Taylor and Chris Knight, working on an advanced laser project, learn that the military wants to use it as a weapon, they decide to thwart the plan.

“When he gets mad, he doesn't get even… he gets creative.”

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Cast

Val Kilmer
Chris Knight
Gabriel Jarret
Mitch Taylor
Michelle Meyrink
Jordan
William Atherton
Professor Hathaway
Robert Prescott
Kent
Louis Giambalvo
Major Carnagle
Jon Gries
Lazlo Hollyfeld
Ed Lauter
CIA Man Decker

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Martha Coolidge
Writers: Pat Proft, Neal Israel, Neal Israel
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Martha Coolidge, shot by Vilmos Zsigmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Chew shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret and Michelle Meyrink carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When he gets mad, he doesn't get even… he gets creative.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0089886 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Martha Coolidge directs. Vilmos Zsigmond behind the camera. Thomas Newman scores. Richard Chew cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

141 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Martha Coolidge, shot by Vilmos Zsigmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Richard Chew shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret and Michelle Meyrink carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "When he gets mad, he doesn't get even… he gets creative.".
7IMDB entry: tt0089886 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 8 themes, including "genius", "laser", "u.s. air force", "boy genius".
9Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Vilmos Zsigmond
Original score: Thomas Newman
Editing: Richard Chew
Production design: Josan F. Russo
Makeup / hair: Zoltan Elek
VFX supervisor: Richard L. Bennett
Sound: George Budd
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,000,000
Box office: $12,952,019
Return: 162% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Real Genius (1985)
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 71/100
IMDB rating: 6.9/10 · 41,090 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

2 wins & 2 nominations total

Also by

Martha Coolidge

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2018-04-28
★ 6/10
The Big Bang guys when they were in college (not really, but sort of) RELEASED IN 1985 and directed by Martha Coolidge, "Real Genius" is a college dramedy about a 15 year-old genius in laser technology (Gabe Jarret) who’s recruited by physics Professor Jerry Hathaway (William Atherton), who has ulterior motives for having the kid work in his personal lab. The newbie’s roommate turns out to be the most brilliant freshman in history, who’s now a senior and seemingly clouded by college-age mischief (Val Kilmer). Michelle Meyrink plays a kinetic student interested in Mitch (Jarret) while Jonathan Gries appears as a curious wraith-like individual. Robert Prescott is on hand as a brown-nosing foil. To give you an idea of the filmmaking style, the director also made 1983’s “Valley Girl.” “Real Genius” is generally on par with that more popular movie, but different due to the setting being college rather than high school, not to mention that it involves genius types. I found the witty nonchalance of Kilmer’s character to be trying after a while and there’s a pervading sense of un-reality about the proceedings with the peripheral characters unconvincingly over-the-top, like during the pool party or at the restaurant/bar. The ice playground at the frat house is another good example. Why sure! Still, there’s enough good here if you like 80’s youth dramedies. I like the way the characters are unique rather than tried-and-true stereotypes of the genre, like jock types, hot bimbos or John Belushi’s character in “Animal House” (1978). THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 48 minutes and was shot in S. Cal. (Claremont, San Diego, Los Angeles and Canyon Country). WRITERS: Neal Israel, Pat Proft and Pj Torokvei. GRADE: B-/C+
Filipe Manuel Neto2024-03-27
After all, it is possible to make a film for teenagers without barracks humor or sexual obsessions. During the 80s, there was an explosion of films aimed at young audiences, and this is, perhaps, one of the most interesting, although it is as forgettable as almost all of them. Of course, it fits into the young thinking of the time: rebellion, revolt against institutions and parents, incapable of understanding their children, but it combines humor, youthful boldness and a certain education that does not give space to slang or obscene situations. After all, it is possible to make a funny youth film without barracks or sorority jokes, and without a permanent obsession about sex. The story is set in a university (or pre-university) institute, where young people with great mental capacity and ingenuity are recruited for advanced scientific projects. It turns out that one of them is, actually, a secret super weapon that the US Army plans to have, something that not even these teens know about. In the midst of that, the usual conflicts and friendly interactions between them, the rebellion of one of them towards the institution itself and its rules, clandestine parties and other jokes and mischiefs. The script is quite creative and the technical conception of the film deserves praise, thanks to the good sets, special effects, editing and cinematography. However, what supports the film is the unpretentious and witty work of Val Kilmer, who shows us that he was really talented when he didn't have movie star tics or try to be the heartthrob, as in later films. Gabriel Jarret, who I've never heard of, does a good job in the lead role. It's a shame it didn't evolve. William Atherton also manages himself well, in a character that had to be unpleasant.

Production companies