Observe a great editor work with a great writer.
Genius
Grade: B+
Director: Michael Grandage
Screenplay: John Logan (Hugo)
Cast: Colin Firth (King’s Speech), Jude Law (Dom Hemingway)
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hr 44 min
by John DeSando
“O lost, and by the wind grieved, ghost, come back again.”
― Thomas Wolfe, Look Homeward, Angel
Max Perkins (Colin Firth) was the genius Scribner’s magazine editor, who helped Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Wolfe become iconic American writers. The watchable Genius, directed by Michael Grandage with a sure understanding of drama, is mostly Thomas Wolfe’s (Jude Law) story. The taciturn Max provides the necessary guidance to make sure the book belongs to the writer while Max delivers “good books into the hands of readers.”
Although the film is engrossingly placed in Perkin’s pv, Wolfe dominates through his exuberant personality and unending energy. While Firth plays Perkins as the conservative but imaginative editor, Law is the reason to see the film, a brilliant acting turn reminiscent of his over-the-top Dom Hemingway. Law simply has never been better than as Wolfe.
The sepia look of the film is appropriate to the 1929 setting of NYC, and Nicole Kidman as his other muse, Aline Bernstein, is memorably smart and vulnerable when it comes to dealing with manic Wolfe. Although Laura Linney as Louise Perkins is lost in spotty, low energy appearances, her general good cheer carries nicely for a Perkins of whom the audience has grown fond.
Because I am always seeking a biography that will show the creative labors of artists, Genius satisfies me when Perkins and Wolfe struggle over the manuscripts. After experiencing Genius, I have seen two sterling examples.
John DeSando, a Los Angeles Press Club first-place winner for National Entertainment Journalism, hosts WCBE’s It’s Movie Time and co-hosts Cinema Classics. Contact him at JDeSando@Columbus.rr.com
