A Chicago Pictures presentation. Produced by Daniel Sadek, Andrea Sperling, Dominique Wirtschafter. Executive producers, Elie Samaha, Al Hayes. Directed by Dominique Wirtschafter. Screenplay, Markus Redmond.
With: Markus Redmond, Keith David, Tara Reid, Debra Wilson, Whoopi Goldberg, Sharon Stone.
If Markus Redmond had known he was a genius, he might not have written and starred in this faintly amusing but wholly unnecessary comedy dealing with his family's detrimental impact on his acting career. A handful of chuckles, mostly courtesy of Whoopi Goldberg as the world's least encouraging mother, are weighed down by sluggish direction and an awful lot of dead time. While the cast could attract some interest, "Genius" looks like a commercial dunce.
The dreadlocked, 35-year-old Redmond plays his alter ego, Michael, at every phase of his life in this semi-autobiographical laffer, starting at the age of 6. Pic quickly establishes Michael's wretched family dynamic: His sister Teresa ("Mad TV's" Debra Wilson, also a bit old to be playing 18) picks on him mercilessly when not raising her illegitimate child, while his mom (Goldberg) supplies a steady stream of negativity, nicknaming him "Ugly" so as not to boost his ego and pooh-poohing his career interests, like architecture ("All the buildings have been built"). Sole source of encouragement and support is his passive but affectionate dad (Keith David).
Even when his teachers suggest that the now 10-year-old Michael might be gifted, Mom has doubts ("But he's black! Are you sure?") and chooses to suppress his IQ test results. Even still, the boy (or man, whatever) gets shuttled off to a private school, where he meets a pretty girl (Tara Reid, not exactly expanding her range) and eventually is discovered by the drama teacher (Sharon Stone), who's convinced he has "the gift."
Speaking with an unplaceable accent, Stone's flamboyantly over-the-top thespian at least gives the comedy a boost it badly needs, while ushering in Michael's short-lived acting career, before he eventually ends up working at a Costco-esque superstore.
But as Michael, Redmond is so flat, unaffected and unengaging that one is hard-pressed to buy him for even a minute as a pro thesp, even in a small gig on a TV series (Redmond's own early credits include several episodes of "Doogie Howser, M.D." and "Murder One"). That may be the joke, but if so, it's a dragged-out joke indeed, and likely to foster more resentment than amusement.
What fun there is to be had comes from Goldberg, whose priceless reaction shots, matronly wardrobe and general air of pessimistic exasperation pay consistent comic rewards; the character might actually have some horrifying resonances for anyone who's had a critically overbearing mother.
The script's running commentary on black social mobility and cultural representation hits its targets only intermittently under Dominique Wirtschafter's direction. Helmer aims for a self-consciously zippy aesthetic, scrambling the story's chronology and having Redmond address the camera regularly, with anemic results.
Tech credits are OK, though the pic's interiors have the flat, airless look of a sitcom.
Camera (Deluxe color), Scott Kevan; editor, Jeff Canavan; music, John Coda; production designer, Mark Hutman; set decorator, Karen Agresti; costume designer, Frank Helmer; sound (Dolby Digital), Veda Campbell; supervising sound editors, Jesse Pomeroy, Paul Stanley; assistant director, Chad Rosen; visual effects supervisors, Dave Tecson, Eliza Pelham Randall; casting, Mary Vernieu. Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (Spectrum), Jan. 23, 2007. Running time: 102 MIN.
Contact Justin Chang at
justin.chang@variety.com