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I've noticed that some people who've commented on REAL GENIUS do not appear impressed. This must be either because they lack a sense of humor or simply don't know a good movie when they see one. Val Kilmer is hysterical, the script is filled with clever one-liners. William Atherton is THE ego-meniacle bad guy. And Chris Knight and Mitch Taylor have a guy named Lazlow living in their closet. Come on, this film is terrific. I could watch this film every day. It's that good.

Real Genius is a hilarious political commentary of the 1980's. Mix greed, government corruption, college pranks and a truly talented cast, and you have the movie "Real Genius". This movie is a family favorite for us, and with good reason. Clean language, developed plot, and fun, the "Real Genius" is great for the family collection. There are scenes in this movie that will stick with you long after you have seen the movie. Kilmer is upbeat and charming in the lead role as are all of the supporting actors/actresses. The lighthearted movie is brought to real-life with the reality of laser technology and the influence of greed which infiltrates every aspect of life - even college campus'.

The imagination and quality of Hollywood movies in the early and mid 80's had regressed back to the pre "Bonnie and Clyde" days (the early and mid-60's being the worst ever period of American movie-making).

Fortunately there were a few gems like "Real Genius" to sustain audiences. Any film that features a memorable moment like Deborah Foreman's articulation of her standards for a male companion, a memorable character like Michelle Meyrink's hyper-kinetic Jordon, and the memorable sight of a house exploding from the force of a giant Jiffy Pop container can never be forgotten.

And who doesn't feel good just watching the neighborhood kids play in a mountain of popcorn to the sound of Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World".

Although "Real Genius" has not totally escaped the ravages of the past 20 years, it has held up reasonably well. Now it can even be appreciated as a sort of time capsule, demonstrating rather strikingly the complete computerization of the applied sciences that has occurred during the relatively short time period since its 1985 release. Other than Kent's incidental use of an early computer in his dorm room and a mostly decorative monitor in the lab, these now essential machines are absent from this techno film. Amazing!

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

This movie is in the genre of Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds but features a cast of geniuses working on a laser, with one of the professors and his minions being the opposition.

It is in my top 10 films of all time list.

The humorous dialog goes on between ALL the characters but Val Kilmer has center stage even though the story seems to be about Mitch, the new 15 year old, premature college geek.

It is a magical movie that can truly lift your spirits if you are depressed. You can watch it over and over again because its power is not so much in the story but in the superb and genuinely captivating interaction between Val Kilmer and the rest of the cast.

The CIA is developing a secret weapon called the Crossbow. Arrogant popcorn hating Dr. Hathaway (William Atherton) is making the important high energy laser for the program. He recruits high schooler Mitch Taylor (Gabriel Jarret) into his university team. Chris Knight (Val Kilmer) is the irreverent science genius. Kent (Robert Prescott) is the brown-nosing student leader. Jordan (Michelle Meyrink) is the awkward science girl. Lazlo Hollyfeld (Jon Gries) is a mysterious guy who lives in a secret room in the closet. Chris is about to graduate but Hathaway blackmails him unless he fixes his laser.

Val Kilmer is great as the irreverent genius. It's like a really smart John Belushi. I do wish that Gabriel Jarret has more charisma. Michelle Meyrink is one of the great 80s adorable geeky girls. And Robert Prescott is always good as the annoying douche. The cast led by Kilmer is just perfect and fun. This is one of the better director Martha Coolidge movie from the 80s.

Siskel and Ebert once ran a special show entitled "Movies I'm Embarrassed to Admit I Liked." I suppose that if I composed such a list of guilty pleasures, this one would be one of them . . . but upon reflection, it's really a lot better than that. Fifteen year-old science prodigy Mitch (Gabe Jarret) is recruited by ambitious college professor Jerry Hathaway (William Atherton, in yet another of his patented roles as a loathsome character) to work on the professor's prize laser project, not knowing that Hathaway is really developing a government weapon. Along the way, Mitch is mentored by Chris (Val Kilmer), another prodigy a few years his senior who teaches Mitch how to loosen up.

This could have degenerated into nothing more than just another teen revenge comedy, but there's so much more: the dialogue is laced with sharp wit; there are some lovely scenes that have nothing to do with the story yet are carefully set up, almost as blackouts (e.g., Mitch goes to a lecture at which a few students have left tape recorders instead of attending; later, at another lecture there are more tape recorders than students; and, in a final scene, one large tape recorder gives the lecture to a room populated by nothing but other small recorders!); and throw-away scenes that make you want to stop and back up the story to watch again (e.g., Chris off-handedly cutting a slice off a bar of dry ice to make a slug for the coffee machine).

It's also one of the few movies to boast the presence of the memorable Michelle Meyrink -- as Jordan, the "girl-nerd" who made being smart and female (and still quite sexy) something to emulate. And there's Tears for Fears' great song, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" providing the perfect coda as the closing credits begin to roll . . . . Yes: really now, what's there to be embarrassed about?

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+

Had very fond memories of this film as a kid in the 80s. Still holds up even today. DVD widescreen format shows off how well directed this movie is. Val Kilmer is terrific as the genius slacker hero. The whole cast gel well together, and the dialogue is very sharp and well-written (reminded me of TV show Scrubs in places). Had me laughing out loud in many places - rare for a modern version like American Pie. Lots of tasty 80s musical montages scattered throughout. Something really likable and positive about this movie, leaves you feeling really good at the end. Highly recommended - really hasn't dated at all. An enjoyable trip down 80s memory lane!

Real Genius may have seemed really rad back in the 80s, but it has not aged well. It feels like they pointed the camera at Val Kilmer and said "Go crazy. Just do and say whatever you want. It'll be great." and then tried to build a story around his manic performance. It's not funny, it's not clever and it doesn't get a passing grade from me.

This movie is an incredible display of verbal byplay, interplay, and foreplay, and Pat Proft (of Naked Gun and Hot Shots fame) writes some of the funniest dialogue ever. But give credit to Val Kilmer: he hits every line perfectly (see lots and lots of Quotes). Even the minor characters get their moment in the spotlight, and the plot isn't dumbed down for the audience. If this isn't what happens at M.I.T. and similar institutes, you wish it did...and that you could sign up. Only Gabriel Jarrett comes across as a bit weak, but the rest of the cast bolsters him up.

Mitch Taylor, a 15-year-old genius, is accepted into a special college program. As part of the course he joins a special project, run by the renowned scientist Professor Jerry Hathaway and involving Chris Knight, a student whose genius is legendary. The project is to build a high energy laser but Hathaway is struggling to make progress. Taylor also discovers that his hero Chris Knight is now a party animal. Little do the students know that their project is essentially to build a weapon for the military.

Real Genius had some potential as a comedy but pretty much coasts the whole way without raising too many laughs. The idea seems to be to shock you with the thought that uber-smart kids can have fun, and then show them having fun. The thought wasn't shocking the first time round, so why try it dozens of times?

There are a few good jokes but they're few and far between.

If it was meant to be a drama (which I doubt), it's a pretty weak one. The plot is largely quite predictable and trite and the action of the farcical escapade type.

Underwhelming and lightly entertaining, at best.

It is unfortunate that Val Kilmer so quickly "graduated" from the realm of youth oriented roles, as his work in Real Genius is by far the most enjoyable to watch. Kilmer proves adept at excellent comic timing, and he is given a motherlode of razor-sharp one-liners to fire off in every scene (I speculate that writer Pat Proft enjoyed watching The Marx Brothers in his formative years). Chief drawback of this film is the hammy, sneering villain played by Atherton -- as the old saying goes, just give him a mustache to twirl. But if you happened to see the film as a young person, the above-mentioned won't get in the way of your fond memories. I sure know that every time I see that slow-motion romp through the popcorn and hear Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," ramp up on the soundtrack, my cynicism just melts away.

Real Genius is a great, silly 80's movie about a bunch of genius kids working with a 5mW laser and... REVENGE!. I laughed throughout the movie either because some parts were genuinely funny or just plain ridiculous such as the party with the future beauticians. Kilmer does good things with his role. This movie is a good time, very entertaining.

Teenage geniuses (Val Kilmer and some other kid) deal with their abilities while developing a laser.

The 1980s seemed to be dominated by John Hughes movies and John Cusack. This film does not have either one, though it does have Jon Gries if you need a little John in your movies. Not sure why you would, but maybe you do.

What makes this film so great is the writing. The jokes are puns and clever twists, sort of the humor you might expect from the Marx Brothers or similar comedians. There are more than a few dirty jokes (the word "penis" comes up a lot), but even those tend to be rather clever.

As a child of the 80s, I have a soft spot in my heart for creatively-executed movies from this period. At their worst, 80s movies become dated more quickly than films from nearly any other period in film history. At their best, 80s movies reflect the cultural undertones of an exciting time where humor and optimism were rampant in films despite the specter of cold war, the advent of AIDS and a rocky economy.

Real Genius takes the happy, go-lucky optimism of the 80s and superimposes it on the grim topics of military research, cold war espionage and assassination. The movie is set in a west-coast college (see Caltech, Berkeley, Stanford) and makes full use of the hyper-intelligent, eccentric dialog you might expect in elite California academia. The sound track from Thomas Newman (Less than Zero, American Beauty and many others) is technically complex and involving and fits the movie perfectly. At times, the movie suffers from the usual poor depiction of science (see lame computer applications and some bad blue screen work on aircraft) and unbelievable scenarios (see water slide in lecture hall and ice sledding in dormitory). Despite these forgivable breaches, the Neal Israel's unique dialog is truly brilliant, the situational comedy is eccentric, and the humor is uplifting. Val Kilmer is outstanding in his portrayal of Chris Knight and I lament his departure from this odd and extremely intelligent form of comedy (See Top Secret) - Though Kilmer has been involved with "better" movies since, I don't think he has ever been more genuinely entertaining.

I think this movie is a must-watch for anyone who enjoys science, comedy and the 80s genre, or for anyone who is planning on attending a technology school on the West coast. This movie may not depict reality, but it communicates a hopeful spirit we could all use more of in today's world of harsh reality.

REAL GENIUS stars Val Kilmer as a smart but irresponsible college student who is teamed with a high school overacheiver (Gabe Jarret) to work on a laser project, and both are later to learn that military police plan to use the project as a secret weapon. Average teen comedy has a slow start but eventually gets more interesting as it progresses. Though Kilmer and many of the others give fine performances, Deborah Foreman, of VALLEY GIRL fame, steals the show in a brief role as a girl Kilmer has eyes for.

3 out of 5

Val Kilmer is hilarious as a college genius on par with Einstein, but is more interested in partying and chasing girls. A new arrival to the campus, Mitch, is a brilliant 15 year-old whom Val takes under his wing and tries to get to loosen up and have a good time.

There are probably some important themes and ideas to analyze within this movie, but for me it's just an old-school personal favorite that I've seen about 100 times. Great 80's music soundtrack and funny performances. William Atherton is perfect as the self-important, snobby professor, and another highlight is Robert Prescott, who plays his butt-kissing, nerdy assistant "Kent".

A movie that asks the question, isn't life experience just as important for education, as classrooms and books? A very funny, fine film that is up there with "Animal House" in my opinion.

This is one of those movies that is just perfect..the 80s were a time of daring movies, and that usually meant that you either had crap or a gem...this movie is one of those gems...the direction, soundtrack, acting is so good you don't even notice it.

This was on Comedy Central today and (except for commercials)i couldn't change the channel. I knew every line even though i hadn't seen it in about 2 years.

I love love love love this movie. It's freaking brilliant. You get so much out of it. Like, physics students are cool. Val Kilmer should've done more comedy. And the guy who plays Dr. Hathaway steals almost every scene. A must-see.

Probable of the best Val Kilmer role ever, he carries the picture all along, he plays Chris Knight typical young genius fed up with tons of works given by stupid persons, then he decides slide easy in a flamboyant lifestyle, just having fun with women with weird and lazy behavior, until reach a new one young genius Mitch Taylor (Gabriel Jarret) to aid him in laser beam project at school, in the group that developing the embryonic project has a jealous guy Kent (Robert Prescott) who hves a blind subservience for his nasty chief Prof. Jerry Hathaway (William Atherton) due he was not enough smart, perceiving the upcoming Chris's success he recklessly sabotage the experiment, also the movie offers an unusual character Lazlo Hollyfeld who living in the wardrobe, actually an enter to a basement, a true genius who give up to create any inventions for malign purposes, one of most colorful characters at sight, all remainder are sub-plot with some gags here and there, a silly proposition for a teenager audience, 80' eletronic music score, an absence of sex appeal is widely noticed, a sort of geek entry, nonetheless fresh!!

Resume:

First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.

Martha Coolidge directed the entertaining "Valley Girl" two years before this film. Although you can see the amount of work that went into "Real Genius", it falls flat. The primary flaw in the film is its writing, which fails on many fronts.

We see a group of weapons contractor bigwigs, sitting around a table laughing about how they are above the law. They are caricatures. The writing feels juvenile.

Then we meet Mitch (Gabriel Jarrett), a 15-year-old at a science fair where he is demonstrating his laser-themed project. He gets the news that he is accepted at Pacific Tech, where he is to work on a project with Professor Jerry Hathaway (William Atherton). Again, the dialogue feels amateurish.

At Pacific, Mitch meets some brilliant students, including Chris Knight (Val Kilmer), who tries to prove his intelligence by acting like a frat animal. He is an irreverent, condescending bad boy. In a world where all the adults are squares or corrupt, he seems like a better alternative, but the first 56 minutes of the film are spent proving how silly everyone can be.

Finally, after 56 minutes, the plot improves and the characters act like real people. But the remainder of the film cannot save it from its early scenes. I suspect that many associated with this project later looked back on it as an embarrassment.

Watch for Deborah Foreman, the titular Valley Girl of the earlier film, who is wasted in a small role.

For a better pseudo-science fiction film, check out "Weird Science", which is a guilty pleasure with more actual humor.