I.Q.
A film review by Scott Renshaw
Copyright 1995 Scott Renshaw
Starring: Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins, Walter Matthau, Stephen Fry. Screenplay: Andy Breckman and Michael Leeson. Director: Fred Schepisi.
A movie like I.Q. is like a souffle. When you're trying to mix whimsy, romance, comedy and (of all things) physics together, the whole recipe can collapse under its own weight without the right chef. Director Fred Schepisi made all the right decisions in 1987's ROXANNE, a film that could have been either cloying or tedious in the wrong hands. I.Q. isn't quite as successful as ROXANNE, but it is far more entertaining than it has any right to be. While it's rarely laugh-out-loud funny, it's pleasant, low-key and consistently charming.
I.Q. stars Meg Ryan as Catherine Boyd, a scatter-brained mathematician engaged to a boring clinical psychologist (Stephen Fry). Her uncle believes that Catherine is an over-thinker who needs a chance at true love, and decides to play Cupid; her uncle also happens to be Albert Einstein (Walter Matthau). The man chosen to be Catherine's suitor is Ed Walters (Tim Robbins), an auto mechanic who appears to be out of his league intellectually. However, Einstein and a few of his friends become physics Cyranos, convincing Catherine and much of the scientific community that Ed is an unschooled whiz who has developed a formula for cold fusion rocket propulsion.
It's not easy to describe exactly why I.Q. works, because in many ways it's extremely simple and predictable. Meg Ryan does her pattented button-cute number, combined with a stereotypical distracted genius; Tim Robbins is a simple guy with a heart of gold; a la SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, Ryan is already involved with the Wrong Man. Stephen Fry (PETER'S FRIENDS, TV's "Black Adder" and "Jeeves and Wooster") is an unconventional casting choice as the Wrong Man, but his part basically asks him to stand between Catherine and Ed. There are the standard complications, and none of them are particularly hilarious.
I think I.Q.'s greatest strength may be that it uses its premise to perfection. Einstein isn't part of the story simply as high-concept gag; love really does become a kind of physics formula, and its incorporation into the story is delightful. Matthau is a marvelous Einstein, a gentle matchmaker with a twinkle in his eye. A trio of colleagues of Einstein's, played with gusto by Gene Saks, Lou Jacobi and Joseph Maher, provide assistance for Ed when he is trapped by smarter folks, most cleverly when Ed is forced ot take a multiple choice physics test. The running commentary they provide on philosophy, science and love is a goofy little trick that turns them into an almost fantastical Greek chorus. It's exactly what Schepisi was able to do with ROXANNE: keep the tone light and coax fine supporting performances out of every last supporting character.
Of course, a romantic comedy is generally only as successful as the chemistry between its stars, so how do Ryan and Robbins fare together? Quite well, and that's mostly because screenwriters Andy Breckman and Michael Leeson take their time bringing them together. This is far from Ryan's best work -- I thought she was coasting much of the time -- but a mediocre Ryan is still worth a lot in a role like this. Robbins, on the other hand, turns in one of his most appealing performances yet. Many of his previous roles have been one-note jobs, either simpletons or sleazes, but Ed is a warm and engaging character which shows that Robbins has a bright future as a romantic leading man. Their scenes together may not set the screen on fire, but they are comfortable enough together that the smiles just keep coming.
I didn't expect much from I.Q., and it really didn't deliver all that much. I just had fun, and I left with a smile. It doesn't take a genius to realize that achievement is worth a compliment.
On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 I.Q. points: 6.
-- Scott Renshaw Stanford University Office of the General Counsel
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