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GENIUS (UK/USA 2015) ****
Directed by Michael Grandage

Review by Gilbert Seah

GENIUS is a British-American drama based on the 1978 National Book Award-winner “Max Perkins: Editor of Genius” by A. Scott Berg.

The film opens in New York City 1929 at the height of the American Depression, which is depicted only in a few of the film’s selected scenes. The film traces the life of the rich and talented. They leave out the poor, those who never get a chance to ever read of book or go to school. The genius in the film is Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law) who every literary enthusiast knows wrote “Look Homeward, Angel” and “Of Time and the River”. It is the mentoring of Wolfe under his editor, Maxwell Perkins (Colin Firth) that is under study in the film. Genus comes with a price. Perkins took on the new writer and taught him to trim down his overlong but talented writing. Perkins ran foul of Mrs. Bernstein (Nicole Kidman) who Wolfe was having an affair with. Mrs. Bernstein accuses Perkins of stealing Wolfe from her. This he does. The film also shows the relationship between Perkins and his other writers like Ernst Hemingway (Dominic West) and F. Scott Fitzgerald (Guy Pearce).

It is a beautifully crafted film and well acted – full of the drama of life while displaying the love of English prose. The film is shot in subdued colours by cinematographer Ben Davis, which is a constant reminder of the film being a period piece.

The script by John Logan contains lots of dramatic dialogue which leads director Grandage to indulge in theatrics. One also wonders, for example in a scene in which Wolfe first collapses from his illness on a beautiful beach whether this was made up.

The film contains different pleasures. One and foremost is the beauty of writing. Grandage spends a fair amount of time forcing the audience to listen to the poetry of Wolfe’s written works. The film also expresses Wolfe’s joie de Vive in the form of his infidelity and drunkenness.

Firth’s controlled performance contrasts brilliantly with Law’s wild card portrayal of Wolfe. Their climatic confrontation on the street where Perkins tells off a drunken Wolfe will be one to be remembered. Kidman makes a memorable comeback as Wolfe’s bitchy mistress who survives from suicidal mess to strong personality. She has the film’s most memorable line tas she confronts Wolfe: “You don’t know how much I had to go through so I can look at you and feel nothing!”

The Brits are fond of complaining of American actors portraying British characters, as evident in an article in the June issue of Sight and Sound. Now Americans can complain of the same. Brits Colin Firth, Dominic West and Jude Law play Americans while Aussies Nicole Kidman and Guy Pearce do the same. But to the actors’ credit, they do an excellent job, American accents and all.

The relationship between Wolfe and Perkins is kept totally straight with no hint of homosexuality or even an hint of male eroticism. At one point in the film, it is even hinted that Perkins is a genius of friendship. But no doubt this relationship is a powerful one. The genius also reflects Wolfe’s heat prose as expressed in the many readings of his cited works.

GENIUS, director Michael’s Grandage’s directorial debut show promise, talent and well crafted filmmaking, making him a name to be reckoned with.

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