graphicspittz187 Wow I loved this movie I am a 80's kid and I never seen this. I really enjoyed this movie

SnoopyStyle The CIA is developing a secret weapon called the Crossbow. Arrogant popcorn hating Dr. Hathaway (William Atherton) is making the important high energy laser for the program. He recruits high schooler Mitch Taylor (Gabriel Jarret) into his university team. Chris Knight (Val Kilmer) is the irreverent science genius. Kent (Robert Prescott) is the brown-nosing student leader. Jordan (Michelle Meyrink) is the awkward science girl. Lazlo Hollyfeld (Jon Gries) is a mysterious guy who lives in a secret room in the closet. Chris is about to graduate but Hathaway blackmails him unless he fixes his laser.Val Kilmer is great as the irreverent genius. It's like a really smart John Belushi. I do wish that Gabriel Jarret has more charisma. Michelle Meyrink is one of the great 80s adorable geeky girls. And Robert Prescott is always good as the annoying douche. The cast led by Kilmer is just perfect and fun. This is one of the better director Martha Coolidge movie from the 80s.

TOMASBBloodhound There really is a difference between smart people and nerds. You can be smart and fun at the same time. You can be witty and someone socially desirable all at once. Getting good grades doesn't necessarily sentence you to a life as a social pariah. Most of the characters we meet in Real Genius are not actually nerds. The Kent character would be an exception. But Real Genius is a fun and reasonably intelligent comedy with exceptionally smart people as its heroes. And unlike the protagonists in Revenge of the Nerds, they aren't people you'd necessarily make fun of. But you can certainly laugh at them.Real Genius is the story of a handful of whiz kids at mythical Pacific Tech University who are unwittingly being used to develop a deadly weapon for the CIA. It turns out their smarmy professor (William Atherton) is using a government grant to refurbish his home while his students relentlessly spend all of their waking moments in a lab developing a laser beam which can eradicate a human target from space. Gabe Jarret is a 15 yr old new to the team who finds himself roomed with Val Kilmer; a genius who has long ago decided not to take school so seriously. Jarret only wants to work on the laser and live up to the expectations of his parents and the faculty. Kilmer wants to teach the kid how to have some fun. And all the while this dangerous weapon is being created in their lab. Finally, after several plot complications, the weapon is complete. But it takes a former whiz kid living in the steam tunnels beneath the dorm to point out that this laser can really only have one use. Feeling betrayed, the students gang up on their professor and use his weapon to teach him a lesson. Real Genius is not a particularly plausible film in terms of its plot, but it succeeds at its most basic goal. In other words, its funny. Kilmer has never been better, spouting smug one-liners that would make Chevy Chase or Bill Murray smile. Atherton always got to play the creep back in the 1980s, and as usual he does it quite well. Gabe Jarret never did much else, but he's as good as he needs to be as the new "stud" who can hardly believe he's doing what he's doing at age 15. The film has dated fairly well. It has a good soundtrack, good special f/x for the laser, and good cast with several memorable performances. There are some unnecessary elements, such as the mixer with student beauticians, and perhaps Jarret's relationship with the hyper girl down the hall was tacked on. But overall its still a winner after so many years. Worth a rental if you don't own it already. 8 of 10 stars.The Hound

lost-in-limbo We know how funny actor Val Kilmer could be after his debut performance in the comedy spoof "Top Secret", and the filmmakers here took that chance by giving the fresh faced actor one of central roles where he would truly make light work of his flamboyantly off-the-wall character. It's Kilmer's show… and boy does he take control! Working off a bright and snappy script, Kilmer is let loose and brings much needed zip and a real quirkiness to his magnificently inspired performance. With "Real Genius" it was one of those films that passed me by, but when I noticed it I was expecting your basic ho-hum teen comedy, but while it might have the token characters and usual situations it actually had a fresh and clever spin to it all. Sure the chaotic and scatty slapstick/screwball humour might not always come off, but it never outstays its welcome by getting on with things as it was constantly thinking on its feet. When its spot on (either with it radical dialogues or visual gags --- as there's plenty of the latter), it's quite good.It even has a message to boot; no matter how hard you work, there's always time to take a break and enjoy life's many experiences… or maybe be careful if you're super smart as the military might just abuse that gift. Yes, the plot follows that of Mitch Taylor a 15 year old whiz kid that joins a school of fellow scientific prodigies. There he meets Chris Knight, who likes to have a good time than be caught studying. However unknowingly to them their professor is exploiting them in an attempt to create a laser weapon for the military.A technically slick presentation by director Martha Coolidge who showers the air with punchy 80s tunes and gets a bunch of capable performances from the cast. William Atherton is picture-perfect as the smug professor and Gabriel Jarret brings the right quality to his naïve character Mitch. Michelle Meyrink is adorably sweet as one of the students; Robert Prescott is good fun as a suck-up nerdy student and look out for Yuji Okumoto (who I'll always remember for his part in "Better off Dead") as one of the whizzes. Jon Gries is enjoyably dry and then you get the lovely ladies Patti D'Arbanville and Deborah Foreman in minor, but potent parts.