When deciding what movie to watch for this review, I was honestly stumped. I wanted a classic movie from the 80’s or 90’s that was forgotten about or not well-known. Then it hit me to go to the biggest classic movie connoisseur I know, my father. At first, he started with movies like “The Goonies,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Those were more popular than I wanted for this review. Then he got to “Real Genius” which I had never heard of before.
After I asked him to describe the movie to me, he said it was the best comedic film of the 80’s. As you can imagine, that description was of no help to me, so I decided to jump right in and watch it myself.
I can agree with my father on his description. The 1985 comedy “Real Genius” directed by Martha Coolidge was an outstanding representation of humor and intellectual satire.
The sci-fi comedy follows a 15-year-old math and science genius named Mitch Taylor. At the start of the movie, Mitch creates an invisible ultraviolet lamp for his high school science fair which instantly catches the eye of the dean and professor of a prestigious California university named Jerry Hathaway.
Hathaway enrolled Mitch into his program and put him on a specific project to build the most high-tech laser created with five megawatts. Why would someone need to create a laser like this? You will have to watch to find out, but as a hint, it has to do with the government…
Mitch instantly makes enemies because of his extreme intelligence, but he also makes a very close friend of his mentor, Chris Knight. Chris is a spontaneous, rebellious genius senior in the program who also happens to become Mitch’s roommate.
In my opinion, Chris is the glue that holds this movie together.
He throws a pool party in the auditorium, goes sledding in the hallway, is friends with someone living in your closet (at first, I was just as confused) and has the most outrageous commentary I have ever heard. My father is pretty sarcastic, so now I get why he likes this movie so much.
Having a decent amount of sarcasm myself, I was cracking up at Chris’s jokes and remarks throughout the entire movie. The tiny comments that he slips in make the whole movie even more attractive and pleasurable to watch.
Although Chris can be all fun and games, his intelligence is unmatched. Before Mitch, Chris was the smartest person at the university. With these two paired together, they were able to discover some pretty terrifying things their professor had been scheming. The boys made sure to set out in pursuit of change and that’s what they did.
I am not going to give any spoilers, but the ending has a huge POP to it (come back to this once you watch and you will definitely have a good laugh).
After watching this movie, I decided to consult with my father. His first words to me were, “best movie ever huh?”
Honestly, I could agree with him on this one. This film mixes fun college antics and humor with an intense scientific dilemma. The dialogue is sharp yet playful which makes the movie an easy one to watch non-stop.
Coming-of-age, academic pressure and teamwork seem to be the main identifiable themes of this film.
Each character has their own personal flair to them while showing immense character development, specifically with Mitch.
As a 15-year-old, it is easy to sit back and do as you’re told, especially while being so young for college in the first place. Mitch’s ability to rise above and push back on authority hones in on his transformation while handling intense academic pressure from Hathaway and himself. Mitch makes a ton of progress through the film, but most of the thanks go to Chris. Yes, I described him as a goofball who does not care at all, but for Mitch and his future, Chris was able to rise to the occasion and do what needed to be done.
I could recommend this movie a thousand times over. If you are looking for a movie to bring you a good laugh with a meaningful and unpredictable ending, look no further (and don’t forget to silently thank my father for the movie recommendation).
Josh Steen 
Grace Nealy 
Ethan Goonewardene