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IMDbPro

Bad Genius

  • 2024
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
Bad Genius (2024)
A group of seniors of an entrepreneurial high school team up to take down a rigged college admissions system.
Play trailer2:19
2 Videos
12 Photos
Thriller

A group of seniors of an entrepreneurial high school team up to take down a rigged college admissions system.A group of seniors of an entrepreneurial high school team up to take down a rigged college admissions system.A group of seniors of an entrepreneurial high school team up to take down a rigged college admissions system.

  • Director
    • J.C. Lee
  • Writers
    • J.C. Lee
    • Julius Onah
  • Stars
    • Callina Liang
    • Benedict Wong
    • Jabari Banks
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    2.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • J.C. Lee
    • Writers
      • J.C. Lee
      • Julius Onah
    • Stars
      • Callina Liang
      • Benedict Wong
      • Jabari Banks
    • 16User reviews
    • 28Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:19
    Official Trailer
    Bad Genius: Best In Class (US)
    Clip 2:03
    Bad Genius: Best In Class (US)
    Bad Genius: Best In Class (US)
    Clip 2:03
    Bad Genius: Best In Class (US)

    Photos12

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    Top cast22

    Edit
    Callina Liang
    Callina Liang
    • Lynn Kang
    Benedict Wong
    Benedict Wong
    • Meng Kang
    Jabari Banks
    Jabari Banks
    • Bank Adedamola
    Taylor Hickson
    Taylor Hickson
    • Grace Simon
    Samuel Braun
    Samuel Braun
    • Pat Stone
    Sarah-Jane Redmond
    Sarah-Jane Redmond
    • Irene Walsh
    David James Lewis
    David James Lewis
    • Ted Stone
    Nat Boltt
    Nat Boltt
    • Eliza Stone
    • (as Nathalie Boltt)
    Conor Meadows
    Conor Meadows
    • Chapin Joyce
    David Lennon
    David Lennon
    • Mr. Lasso
    Reese Alexander
    Reese Alexander
    • Preston Brown
    Rumbie Muzofa
    • Tolu Adedamola
    Synto D. Misati
    Synto D. Misati
    • Nathanial
    Aqqalu Meekis
    Aqqalu Meekis
    • Campus Security
    Olivia Naguit
    • Young Lynn
    Yuko Tokashiki
    • Lynn's Mom
    Nikolai Witschl
    Nikolai Witschl
    • Mr. Hamilton
    Rob Carpenter
    Rob Carpenter
    • Homeless Guy
    • Director
      • J.C. Lee
    • Writers
      • J.C. Lee
      • Julius Onah
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews16

    6.22.6K
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    Featured reviews

    6SnoopyStyle

    needs a change in Lynn

    Lynn (Callina Liang) is a brilliant student with no family money. His widowed father Meng (Benedict Wong) works tirelessly in his laundromat business. She gets a scholarship to a prestigious Seattle high school. She is befriended by rich girl Grace (Taylor Hickson) who slowly pulls her into the rich kids' world. They recruit her into passing answers to them. Bank (Jabari Banks) is the other smart scholarship kid in their class.

    Apparently, this is adapted from a Thai film which I haven't seen. All I know is this movie needs a change in Lynn. I get the idea of a poor innocent Chinese girl being lured into doing bad by a bunch of rich white kids. It would be more fun if she starts the movie doing some scheme to make money. I would even accept a narration where she reads the people around her. She needs to be emotionally smart like she is later in the movie. The first thirty minutes are very standard and rather boring. It's downright uninspired. It takes a long time to get into something interesting. At times, I thought that Banks should be the lead character, but it really should be Lynn... with a change.
    6meinwonderland

    The only way to beat a rigged game is to outmaneuver it

    A high school thriller that follows Lynn (Callina Liang), a standout high school student, who devises a systematic plan of cheating on exams to bring justice to a rigged system.

    Directed by J. C. Lee and co-written by Julius Onah, Bad Genius is a remake of the 2017 Thai film of the same name. A movie that takes the heist framework into the school setting. The original movie was inspired by real events involving a S. A. T. Cheating scandal. A film interested in social commentary about wealth inequality and how success is easier for some few while for most people it is a difficult and long path. Something succinctly put by its protagonist when she was talking about the S. A. T.: "It's a scam, engineered by people with money and sold to other people with money to protect their status." Mei Ling creates a system to outsmart the rigged game, as they think of it, and help not only her schoolmates but also herself and her struggling father.

    Bad Genius is engaging from the start, never loses its momentum and it is full of scenes where tension is present keeping you at the edge of your seat. A movie about a reality that easily interpellates most people. A reality that uncovers a truth sometimes best left unsaid, not because it is unknown, but because sometimes forgetting is easier, that people are just a means to an end and relationships are nothing but transactions. Everything is a transaction and everything has a price, even if they hide the price tag.
    10ewong-88246

    Really good! Wish more detail into her life! (Move me to the top.!!!)

    My review should be at the top! As a Chinese American 1st gen. I related a lot. Stern father who made me so hw as soon as I am home. So it is very relatable to Chinese 1st gen girls.

    Excellent movie!!

    It was good !! I liked it a lot! I am a 1st Gen Chinese American girl in NY & my immigrant Chinese father def drilled college into my life.

    So I related to the relationship between her & her father, it reminded me of my father and I.

    I thought it was an original story line but I found out it was a remake. For the American version, it woulda been more up to date if it was like a test required to like live or a test to get into this like elite only one like this type of college. (Even magic lol). If the SATs were still important...but I guess even if it's not that big of a deal to colleges, I'm sure it's a big deal to some old school parents / care about ur education parents.

    But what am I saying! I enjoyed this movie, I think the plot is original (even if this pertains to the original) - I loved the actors (esp Benedict Wong <3 ) & the actress is a stand out .. looks like a promising young addition to the "Asian Actresses" in the Hollywood community. Love that she speaks Canto.. can see her in future romcom movies & graduating to action films.

    The other teen actors/actresses fit your stereotypical hs ppl, actors can be interchangeable , Where unless this replace the whole race of the character is harder to change / stand out?

    We need more Asian centric movies!!
    5movieman6-413-929510

    More of a dumb, unnecessary remake instead of a genius remake.

    Bad Genius is a remake of the Thai film of the same name from 2017. This remake was directed and partly written by J. C. Lee. With this remake he makes his directorial debut.

    The brilliant, scholar Lynn Kang (Callina Liang) would like to continue studying at a university, but unfortunately she and her father Meng Kang (Benedict Wong) do not have the money for this. In order to get money, Lynn decides to abuse her intelligence and help other students by letting them copy the correct answers for school tests. In return, Lynn is paid by them. With this money she hopes to be able to go to university, but when she is caught for her false actions, she risks her chances of still being admitted.

    This more western remake seems to modernize the film a bit, not doing much special than just copying the original version. This remake also seems to have been put together a bit too quickly, so that you do not really get to know most of the characters, so that you do not really care about them. This can make it feel a bit long-winded at times.

    Due to the rushed, copied aspects, most of the cast also don't really manage to do anything special with their roles. Benedict Wong comes out best as a caring father, who tries to be there for his daughter despite his financial problems. Unfortunately, he doesn't have such a big role in the film.
    8joecurry-61481

    Bad Genius blew me away!

    Bad Genius blew me away with its unique take on the heist genre. Instead of your typical bank or casino robbery, this film turns the world of academic exams into a high-stakes game, and the results are nothing short of brilliant. The tension is palpable from start to finish, and every scene feels meticulously crafted to keep you on the edge of your seat. I have not seen the Thai movie that it was apparently adapted from but I so enjoy this one that I think I just might try to find it and watch it was well. I always like to compare how the same story is told differently from a different filmmakers point of view.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Remake of Thai Movie Bad Genius (2017)
    • Goofs
      At the beginning of the movie, there is a scene showing Lynn calculating the cost of commuting to the private school she toured. The movie showed a pile of public transportation tickets that clearly are marked with a SEPTA logo, which stands for Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. SEPTA runs in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Half a minute later the movie identifies the city Lynn and dad live as Seattle.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Escape from Vault Disney: Patreon Request Month - Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) (2025)

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    FAQ14

    • How long is Bad Genius?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 11, 2024 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Apple TV Store (MENA)
      • Google TV (MENA)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Thiên Tài Ném Phao
    • Filming locations
      • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Little Ray Media
      • Picture Perfect Federation
      • Picturestart
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $319,006
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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