A somewhat unheralded feature considering its cast, Genius is the period of time in the life of renowned book editor Maxwell Perkins (Colin Firth) as he edited the first book by Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law) in readiness for publication.
A close and supportive friendship developed between the two, in spite of the best efforts by Wolfe’s muse, patron and (older) lover, Aline Bernstein (Nicole Kidman) to drive a wedge between the two men. Look Homeward, Angel was a best seller and, during his short career (he died at the age of 38), the verbose, larger-than-life eccentric Wolfe became more successful than many of Perkins’ other writers, including Scott Fitzgerald (Guy Pearce).
Stagey, wordy and character driven, Genius is a chamber piece of a film, adapted from the book by A.Scott Berg and directed by theatre director Michael Grandage. It does, admittedly, verge on staid and pedantic but with a rock solid, quietly introspective Firth guiding the unpredictable Wolfe, the narrative draws you in to its telling.
Rating: 61%
Director: Michael Grandage (Red)
Writer: John Logan (Skyfall, Gladiator) – based on the book by A. Scott Berg
Main cast: Colin Firth (A Single Man, The King’s Speech), Jude Law (The Talented Mr Ripley, Fantastic Beasts), Nicole Kidman (Destroyer, The Hours)
An Opinion or Two 