Genius (2016)

Genius has a compelling story about the relationship of an editor and a gifted, yet troubled, writer set in the 1930s. This film boasts a strong cast, a cast recognizable enough but not featuring a batch of A-listers that are too frequently type cast. It also it a period piece, which I enjoy, that features the fashion, music, and history that makes these films enjoyable. The acting is decent, the story is average and the developing relationship between the editor Perkins and the writer Wolfe.

The problem with this movie is that it fails to show the human side of its characters and even though there is great personal involvement and great weight upon the characters' shoulders, you as the viewer do not feel their pain, stress, or angst. What emotion is reveled is not felt with the same poignant punch that others movies have on their audiences.

The movie is under two hours, but it feels like four. It has a good cast, but the acting is average at best. The story has compelling components but it lacks emotional draw. It is worth a one time watch, but a second watch is unnecessary.

Fmovies: The is based upon a true story. In 1929 Scribner Bookseller Publisher Editor Max Perkins (Colin Firth) agrees to publish a novel by Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law). It was said that other publishers rejected Wolfe's novels due to their being overly long, but this did not deter Perkins who was captivated by Wolfe's autobiographical poetic prose. Look Homeward Angel was the result of that collaboration wherein we saw Perkins cut much of the work. Later in their lives when their relationship was somewhat strained Perkins remarks if editors make the work better or different. This story revolves around Wolfe, but we know the Genius in here is Perkins.

Of course, we all know that Colin Firth used to be King of England. (You like saying that, right?) Yes, the King's Speech was one of the best movies I have ever seen.

Back to Genius. Again with "true stories" we are not really sure how much of what we see is actually true and we have to almost accept everything, but when One goes to other reviewers as this One did, this time, we see that not all in the movie was actually true; and in some instances Wikipedia supports some of this. It will be up to you to decide what you want to believe. I could provide examples but that would lessen your interest in doing your research. See?

Colin Firth and Jude Law have, perhaps, given one of their best performances ever. (Well, except for Firth in The King's Speech you would agree, I am sure) We see Law's Wolfe as somewhat out of control at times, too exuberant, too over-confident, too uncaring about people especially his lover, Mrs Aline Bernstein (Nicole Kidman) when he refused to attend an opening night play of hers. At the same time - it seemed - that Perkins wouldn't go on a family vacation because he and Wolfe had work to do. Their obsession with the work of editing Wolf's novel was the only driving force in their lives.

I did not recognize Nicole Kidman as Mrs Bernstein and kept wondering who that was. But the credits said it was Nicole Kidman so there you are. Maybe she should wear her hair longer and keep it black as she was absolutely stunning and beautiful in this movie. Who knew? And the role she played could be considered Oscar Worthy along with Colin Firth and Jude Law. Kudos to all.

We see that both Perkins and Wolfe knew Ernest Hemingway (Dominic West) and F. Scott Fitzgerald (Guy Pierce) and those scenes were pure gold. Perkins was the editor for both Hemingway and Fitzgerald.

We kept wondering when Perkins would finally remove his hat which he wore in every scene except the last one.

We don't often get to see anything of the great writers/authors and the people who help them. This is a good first start and this was a great story. (9/10)

Violence: No. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: No.

This was a very thoughtful, moving film, seamlessly made and directed with divine skill. The storytelling was so trans-formative that both my husband and I could barely leave the theater till every credit ended and the last note sounded. We have a symbiotic relationship with England and hats off to this film. Colin Firth was perfection. Jude Law in a southern role was a moment of challenge but I got over it and let go along for the brilliant ride. Enjoy seeing Nicole Kidman and Laura Linney in every scene give award winning performances and I hope others agree with nominations. Go see this movie. It is top rate in every aspect. The mood, music and total experience is a gift!

Genius fmovies. GENIUS is the name attached to John Logan's screen lay adaptation of A. Scott Berg's 1979 novel 'Max Perkins: Editor of Genius' and Michael Granage directs a superlative cast in this recreation of the Depression of the 1930s America. Despite the fact that the film focuses on the raucous life of Thomas Wolfe, the true remarkable character throughout is Max Perkins – the editor at Scribner's in New York City who is responsible for the editing of the books of not only Wolfe but also of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The film plays the period well opening in 1929 when writer Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law), decided to keep the appointment made by Max Perkins (Colin Firth), editor at Scribner's, he had no illusions: his manuscript would be turned down as had invariably been the case. But, to his amazement, his lengthy autobiographical novel 'O Lost', which was to become "Look Homeward, Angel" was accepted for publication. The only trouble was that it was overlong (5,000 pages) and had to be reduced. Although reluctant to see his poetic prose trimmed, Wolfe agreed and helped by Perkins, who had become a true friend, managed to cut 90,000 words from the book, with the result that it instantly became a favorite with the critics and bestseller. Success was even greater in 1935 when "Of Time end the River" appeared but Wolfe's inability to cope with the editing process got in the way of his relationship with his mistress (Nicole Kidman) and with Max, and Wolfe died in 1938 after writing 'You Can't Go Home Again', 'The Web and the Rock' and some short stories. Wolfe remained faithful to his appreciation for Max Perkins and died from tuberculosis of the brain a lonely man at age 38.

The supporting cast is superb – Laura Linney as Louis Perkins, Guy Pearce as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dominic West as Ernest Hemingway – and both Law and Firth carry the story well, maintaining a credible relationship in all its stages. Unfortunately the ending of the film is gushingly saccharine – not at all a good choice. But the movie is a tasty bit of acting and history and deserves to be seen.

It is such a feat how it makes us look down on a literary genius. Most works conclude with art, but the way it faces the fires directly it feels like almost a privilege to watch. But as the rewards come early, its journey is 'after art': Legacy. "Are we making it better or different?" And peters at its natural conclusion of the finished work, it has nowhere to go, which reflects the magic of what they shared, and the dire aftermath as being the time in between magic. The pull back from the skyline mocks that this would end the film, and what follows is the longest denouement in film history, with an hour, one scene after another, where the audience 'learns'. This tedium works because it reflects the process, as when they're finished, the film is lost and scrambling same as the characters are; even as it sinks the movie and they rebel against the sinking of the ship within the aftermath.

* He is "an octopus" as reverse engineers the book as the person and the person is the limbs hopelessly a slave to the creative dragon.

* "After Thomas there is a great hush" interesting the effect of being warned brings us some kind of cinematic dread, same as his turn as Dickie Greenleaf. Here we don't want to lose him either, even though he's not really lovable just lively.

* Kidman and Law also quotes Cold Mountain combating the repression of their love with liveliness.

* The editor's wonderful family is neglected and he never really comes around; it's frank and brutal about the consequences of 'art' concluding with their efforts being a worthy and profound burden.

* Fitzgerald teases screenwriting hackery which blasts the film's own on the nose hackery of its 'lessons learned' second half. But then at least there is great function there if the 'prose' is bad

* Fitzgerald is shown crumbled by the creative dragon. "Five of your words are worth one of his." The foil shows Wolfe shies of facing said dragons through his song and dance, bringing the film's most counter intuitive insight--this as well is a phenomenon of the narcissist--that somehow his great art is not exposing him but hiding him. Then the journey conclusion is not success but him editing himself; its tragedy is he was already lost in the conquest, a piece of him gone. Constantly the film shows such productivity does not come often even for the writers themselves.

* Lastly, most frightening of all, compare the wives of all three, and you see the various consequences of art as burned by the divine fires, in various histrionics and states of destruction, the women directly reflect their husbands consequence as literary mirrors. The husbands live there after all, then the wives naturally would show it. Do they have to compete with books so live in this way? Or is it more the reflection deity; art is cleansing, restoring, a divine endpoint, but catastrophically destructive for its conduits and everyone around them. Most modest with the editors wife who casually states she writes as well.

Colin Firth and Jude Law Portray editor Max Perkins and his newest client, Tomas Wolfe. Perkins is a tight wound package of seriousness, work being his life. Wolfe is a frenetic writer, eating up everything around him with voracity. The polar opposites take on Wolfe's first novel, "Look Homeward, Angel." I admit, Law's Wolfe is energizer- bunny out-of-control frenetic at times, but it's that kind of mind that gave us one of the greatest (if not the greatest) American novels of all time. Having read "Angel," I completely bought into it. The relationship between editor and writer becomes extremely close, at times casting aside the women in their lives. Laura Linney is Louise Perkins, devoted wife to Max and their 5 daughters. She is also trying to keep her own writing career alive, with little help from her work obsessed husband. Nicole Kidman is Aline Bernstein, a married woman currently shacking up with Wolfe. She was his inspiration in writing "Angel" and is over zealously jealous of Tom's relationship with Max. Like, seriously, wack-job crazy. This role was the weak link for me, didn't like her from her second appearance on screen. The movie moves through their lives, another published book, and on to Wolfe's untimely death. (I am pretty sure that isn't a spoiler.) I don't want to go in to the plot anymore, except to say that I agree with another reviewer about the scene in the jazz club. A really great way to show how minds, and the streaming of thought, can be so different between people.

The cinematography is beautiful, sepia tones bring you back to the years right before and during the depression. Extravagance and soup kitchens, back-to-back. The music bangs out with Wolfe's bombastic behavior, and mellows with Max.

This movie is a movie about writers and readers, for what editor isn't a closet writer? It's also for the same audience, with several nods to a few other greats of that period; Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, but mostly, to Wolfe. When Max is reading "Angel" through for the first time, his daughter walks in. She looks at the page and says, "Wow, that's a really long paragraph" and Max answers "It started four pages ago..." THAT is Wolfe. That book was the most difficult book I have ever read. This movie is also about, who exactly is the genius? Wolfe is, obviously. But does that make Max, who edited, made these books marketable, and made Wolfe a celebrity of his day, any less of a genius? That is left for the viewer.