Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
New York in the 1920s. Max Perkins, a literary editor is the first to sign such subsequent literary greats as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. When a sprawling, chaotic 1,000-page manuscript by an unknown writer falls into his hands, Perkins is convinced he has discovered a literary genius.
Genius benefits enormously from its cast—Colin Firth's restrained, quietly magnetic performance as Max Perkins anchors the film, while Jude Law's volcanic, scene-chewing turn as Thomas Wolfe provides compelling contrast. The acting ensemble is genuinely exceptional. The plot, however, is a fairly conventional literary biopic structure: the discovery, the creative battles, the personal costs, the falling out—it follows a well-worn arc without much surprise. Cinematography is competent period work but rarely distinctive. Novelty is moderate; the subject matter (a great editor rather than the writer as hero) offers an interesting angle, but the execution is fairly traditional in approach. The ending, depicting Wolfe's decline and Perkins's grief, feels rushed and emotionally underpowered given the investment the film asks of its audience, failing to deliver the catharsis the relationship earned.