Everybody loves a David and Goliath story, one about a little guy overcoming both the odds and a vastly bigger foe. It’s empowering, and at least offers the illusion that we as a species value fairness and egalitarianism in all aspects of our lives. Of course that’s a bunch of baloney and the fact of the matter is that, if you don’t fight tooth and nail for what is rightfully yours, it will be taken from you without a second thought.
One such real-world fighter was Robert Kearns, who in 1964 received a U.S. patent for his invention of the automotive intermittent windshield wiper. The fight was necessary because Kearns alleged his invention was stolen from him by Detroit’s Goliath auto makers. The invention, discovery that he had been duped, and the courtroom battle that followed are the central themes of the 2008 movie Flash of Genius.
The film stars Greg Kinnear, who portrays Kearns as a salt-of-the-Earth midwestern man who prizes his dignity above all else. The real life Kearns was actually a coldly calculating  business man who obsession eventually drove away his wife – in the movie portrayed by Lauren Graham – and his six children.  The real-life Kearns passed away in 2005, before his story reached the screen. That story is based on the book Flash of Genius and Other True Stories of Invention by John Seabrook. The movie version is stripped of much of the greys of the real story, presenting a more black and white version of good and bad. It may not be 100% accurate in its recounting, but it is a rousing drama about the intricacies of the auto industry and the legal system. Check out the trailer right after the jump.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/0Biy-okZ0l8[/youtube]

Flash of Genius is available to stream from all the usual suspects for about $3. Or you could just go out to your car and marvel at its intermittent wipers for an hour and a half.

Image: YouTube