Genius

PG-13

Released Jun 10, 2016

1 hr. 44 min.

Biography

History

Drama

TRAILER

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List

52%

112 Reviews

Tomatometer

46%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Renowned editor Maxwell Perkins (Colin Firth) develops a friendship with author Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law) while working on the writer's manuscripts.

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Critics Consensus

Genius seeks to honor worthy subjects, yet never gets close enough to the titular quality to make watching worth the effort.

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Michael E

I loved it. Tragic tale of a bloke who wrote and drank too much but didn't have enough love for real life. Distracted by writing, success and contempt for those who helped him. The three leads are well played. There is a pleasing pace and tone and a good ending.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/12/24

Full Review

Melissah M

This is a brilliant plot, suited to anyone sick of the usual no-thought rubbish usually coming up. Very good Actors, delving into the intense world of what it takes to succeed as a novelist. Interesting for anyone who likes clever language and who has read the classics, as the Editor (Colin Firth) battles with his famous authors. Based on a true story

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/15/24

Full Review

James P

I thought the movie was a delight even though the critics found it fun to denigrate it. Thomas Wolfe was an amazingly talented writer with a very complex character. The script was beautifully written and the actors' performances were straight on. It was for me at least a joy to watch.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Excellent acting, scenery, story and costumes. It was captivating. A great story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Grace P

Watched this last night and felt it was a spectacular story portrayed by brilliant actors. Why this didn't rate higher is beyond me. Interesting that movie didn't tell us that Thomas Wolfe worked full time as a professor, and that is why he had to do his writing and "cutting" in the evenings, hence the two year rewrite. Firth and Law were over the top. Amazing.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

sally M

Don't bother watching unless you've had a nice large cup of coffee first. Very disappointed.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

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Michael Grandage

Director

Colin Firth

Max Perkins

Jude Law

Thomas Wolfe

Nicole Kidman

Aline Bernstein

Laura Linney

Louise Saunders

Guy Pearce

F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Genius: Trailer 1

2:31

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Anna Leszkiewicz

New Statesman

Genius ends up being terrifically boring, while enthusiastically reproducing the creative hierarchies of the time it portrays.

Aug 25, 2016

Full Review

Roxana Hadadi

Chesapeake Family Magazine

The biographical Genius is uneven, and that imbalanced focus-the same thing that novelist Thomas Wolfe needed help with all those years ago-is its weakest element.

Rated: 2.5/5

Aug 1, 2016

Full Review

Leonard Maltin

leonardmaltin.com

Documenting the inner life of creative artists and their world is challenging at best... 'Genius' manages to capture the grandiose dreams of both infamous writer, Wolfe, and his long-fabled editor...

Jul 11, 2016

Full Review

Ian Brill

Battleship Pretension

As Perkins and Wolfe discuss the importance of every choice and omission an artist makes in crafting work, it is sad that Genius doesn't know show much evidence of that same consideration.

Apr 13, 2021

Full Review

David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

A great wall separates the producers, writers and directors at present from the kind of mental effort it takes to represent the world in a serious artistic manner. For the most part, unhappily, they have only clichés and guesswork at their disposal.

Feb 11, 2021

Full Review

Sarah Knight Adamson

Sarah's Backstage Pass

Michael Grandage could've used his female stars more powerfully-and the whole film smells of Oscar Bait-but the opposites-attract friendship between Perkins and Wolfe is the stuff of literary lore and is more than enough...

Rated: 3/4

Jan 23, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Renowned editor Maxwell Perkins (Colin Firth) develops a friendship with author Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law) while working on the writer's manuscripts.

Director: Michael Grandage
Executive Producer: James J. Bagley, A. Scott Berg, Tim Bevan, Nik Bower, Arielle Tepper Madover, Deepak Nayar
Screenwriter: John Logan
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Production Co: Desert Wolf Productions, Michael Grandage Company
Rating: PG-13 (Suggestive Content|Some Thematic Elements)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 10, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.4M
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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