I.Q.
A film review by Ben Hoffman
Copyright 1994 Ben Hoffman
When I first read a small synopsis of the film, I thought it was going to be a real dog: "Einstein acts as a cupid for a pair of young lovers." I was therefore prepared for the worst. As it turned out, it was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated.
Einstein (Walter Matthau, looking exactly like old Albert himself), has a niece, Catherine (Meg Ryan), a very bright mathematician. She is having her car fixed at a place where Ed (Tim Robbins) works. With her is her fiance, James, (Peter Fry who was Peter in the film PETER'S FRIENDS ... and Jeeves on the PBS series).
It only takes one glance at Catherine for Ed to fall madly in love. Ed, although a mere auto mechanic, is interested in aspects of science and he uses "Time" to envision him being married to her and their having 2 children. Meg, of course, is unaware of Ed's fantasy.
Einstein when he learns of Ed's infatuation with his niece thinks it is a great idea, far superior to her marrying the dull Peter even if he is a scholarly psychiatrist. Albert and his science cronies set about getting Catherine to drop Peter and to fall in love with Ed.
While there are many scientific and mathematical jokes as well as a dozen gags about "time does not exist," they are all in the first half of the film. The second half is devoted to how the writers would get around to having the mathematician settle for the auto mechanic who thinks he, too, is a scientist. Unfortunately, the writers did not succeed.
Another segment that hurt the movie was the scene where Einstein and his fellow geniuses are trying to help Ed in a test he is taking by grimacing at him to give him the answers--an utterly childish bit of buffoonery.
In the cast are also Charles Durning, James Maher, Gene Saks, and Lou Jacobi.
Directed by Fred Schepisi.
2 bytes 4 Bytes = Absolutely must see. 3 Bytes = Too good to be missed. 2 Bytes = So so. 1 Byte = Save your money.
Ben Hoffman
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