Real Genius begins with Mitch Taylor, a high school whiz kid interested in lasers, being recruited to the prestigious Pacific Tech by a Professor Holloway. Holloway is secretly interested in using Taylor to develop a laser that the CIA can use to incinerate people from space. Weak, right? (This was the stuff of Reagan’s nightmares, right?) Taylor’s thrilled just to be at Pacific Tech, but he hits the books hard much to the displeasure of his roommate Chris (played by Val Kilmer). Chris plays Obi-Wan to Mitch’s Luke, teaching him that life isn’t all about solving problems, while Holloway puts the heat on the two to finish the laser.
When they finally figure out what Holloway has planned for their little experiment, the two recruit other students to help them sink the laser before it can do any real damage.
William Atherton plays the slimy professor keeping the students in the dark. He also played Richard Peck, the jackass EPA agent in Ghostbusters and the jerk reporter willing to sell out anyone for a scoop in Die Hard. Thus, Atherton seems to have a propensity for playing assholes we love to hate. (I bet he gets stopped a lot with comments from people: “You’re the asshole from Ghostbusters!” “You’re the asshole from Die Hard!” I wonder if people ever bring this one up.) He doesn’t disappoint with Real Genius, as he plays the smarmy professor playing all the angles just right.
Kilmer’s funny enough as Chris Knight, and while the movie isn’t great, it has a sort of “real life meets a touch of wishful thinking” kind of sweetness ordinarily found in John Hughes movies. … Or I could’ve just been mistaken by looking at all the ’80’s-tastic fashion. Some of the characters are a bit one-dimensional, but Real Genius makes the whole experience fun. The ending in particular is worth the price of admission. Unrealistic? Slightly zany? It’s hilarious and the kind of thing that can only happen in the movies – and I mean that in the very best way.
1416 and Counting 
Oh man – this is one of my all-time guilty pleasures! (I probably suggested it, didn’t I??).
I think my favorite part has to be…
“Was it that dream where you’re standing on a temple in sun god robes, and all these naked women are screaming and throwing little pickles at you?”
“No.”
“Why am I the only person who has that dream?’
-3fc52t
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Real Genius is one of the better movies of the ’80s. I couldn’t bring myself to make it an 80’s Trash of the Week because it’s so damn good, and it sucks to see how awesome Val Kilmer used to be. He hasn’t been this good again until Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
(for the chinese spammer)
Spam is becoming my mortal enemy! Argh, as soon as I get home from work I’m deleting that. Blech.
Tommy, I was surprised at how good it was. Definitely ’80’s in subject matter & tone, but funny and sweet without being melodramatic or stupid. Nicely played, makers of Real Genius!
Tommy, is Val Kilmer really that good in Real Genius? I thought he did well considering it was his second film, but I think his best work may have been The Doors. However, he was good in The Salton Sea and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and I still love The Saint. I find it odd how many movies he has been in since Kiss Kiss and yet I have no clue what any of them are aside from Deja Vu. It makes me mad since I have seen that he really is very good when he tries. In fact, there is a movie called Summer Love (which was terrible) in which he was literally a dead body for the entire film. It is like he is just messing with us. What happened?