Film review: 'Genius'

The casting of Jude Law as prolific author Thomas Wolfe in "Genius" was an epic blunder. His performance seems as though he's begging for an Oscar, when it screams Razzie for Worst Actor.

Thankfully, the other cast members are brilliant, elevating this intriguing film to first-rate. Colin Firth plays Scribner editor Max Perkins, who became famous for launching literary greats in the 1920s and 1930s. F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway benefited from his expertise, as did Thomas Wolfe. 

To indicate that Wolfe was verbose is a vast understatement. He had been rejected by everyone in the publishing business. But in 1929, when Perkins received a manuscript nearly a foot high, he was struck by the passion it exuded. It required a great deal of editing, which was not to Wolfe's liking, but eventually became "Look Homeward, Angel." The best selling novel forged an unlikely bond between the paranoid author and the sublime editor.

"Of Time and the River" was their next collaborative effort, which took over three years to edit. During that period of time, Wolfe and Perkins' personal lives collided. Wolfe's married lover (Nicole Kidman) became insanely jealous of the time the two men spent with one another, to the point of brandishing a pistol. Perkins' wife (Laura Linney) also felt left out but was infinitely more refined in her reaction to the situation.

"Genius" is Michael Grandage's directorial debut, and it's quite evident that his history lies in theater. The film feels much like a play but transcends via beautiful cinematography and stalwart scoring. With limited but strong performances from Guy Pearce as Fitzgerald and Dominic West as Hemingway, the film draws us into the unheralded and vitally important world of editing. It showcases the geniuses behind the genius.

Michael Fassbender was originally cast as Thomas Wolfe but had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts. And although "Genius" is an engaging and fascinating true story, one can only imagine what it might have been given a better Wolfe.