Cinephiles are mourning the death of Val Kilmer. Kilmer was most famous for Batman Forever, Tombstone, the Top Gun movies, and his portrayal of Jim Morrison in The Doors. However, I remember him most for a movie from 1985 which is an anti-war classic, Real Genius.
The movie opens with top military brass watching a movie of a man being killed by a laser from the sky. The laser hasn’t been developed. However, the military recruits Jerry Hathaway to get such a laser built. Hathaway is a well-known professor at a fictional college, Pacific Tech.
Hathaway is played by William Atheron. Atherton also played the obnoxious EPA bureaucrat in Ghostbusters just a year earlier. He also attended a “nerdy school” in real life—Carnegie Mellon. He is perfect for this role.
Hathaway has a team of young “geniuses” who have been working on the laser project. One of those students is senior Chris Knight (hilariously played by Kilmer). Knight came in as a stereotypical nerd as a freshman and has become somewhat of a practical joker and comedian as a senior—a “slacker.” He is also roommates with a new freshman, Mitch Taylor. Upon Mitch’s arrival, Chris says to him: “I used to be you.”
Real Genius also shows the corruption of federal subsidies for “science.” Hathaway is using a lot of the money intended for the research to remodel his own home. Hathaway also doesn’t want the college administration to know that he is working with feds.
Real Genius deals with issues that are often on the minds of nerds. Nerds often enjoy the work for its own sake. They love to solve problems. They love to create and build amazing gadgets. Yet, they don’t always know who else profits.
There is a great discussion between Chris and Mitch. Chris explains to him that scientists also need philosophy. He learned this from an older nerd who broke down when he learned that he was engineering things that killed people. “When you’re smart, people need you,” Chris says. The bad guys especially need you, and smart people need to know that they are working for good.
Finally, Real Genius is a wonderful portrayal of nerds and how nerds act. It just feels like it was made by nerds. It’s not superficial stereotypes—it actually gives nerds a depth and humanity that most films don’t. It shows various personalities that nerds have and how they clash. The pranks in Real Genius are quite hilarious. Most movies want us to laugh at the nerds. Real Genius encourages us to laugh with the nerds. This article from ten years ago says it best.
I don’t want to give away the ending or later parts of the movie. However, it seems quite fitting that “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears is played over the closing credits. If you want to celebrate the life and career of Val Kilmer, watch Real Genius.
