Father of Invention (2010) Reviews

• How reviews work

  digdog-785-7175382011-10-13

  If you find yourself coming to IMDb for a sneak peek at your next movie outing, please remember this rule: reviewers who vote a film 8* or more, if they have only one, or two at the most, reviews posted .. are probably what the industry calls "sponsored reviewers" or, in layman's terms, "professional bullsh**ers". Unfortunately Father of Invention is one of those titles that the parent studio feels needs sponsored reviews, as you can see for yourself if you browse the few reviews here on IMDb (just click on the Author's name in the review); the film isn't terrible, but apart from Kevin Spacey doing his best, there really isn't much of a story to keep it afloat. Rober "Bob" Axel has just come out of jail for marketing a faulty product (whait, what? do corporation chairmen go to jail for that? this film must be set in a parallel universe where criminal charges apply differently than real-life US), and he has to start again from the bottom rung of society, trying to rebuild all he lost, including his family, car, friends, and all that upper-crust stuff. He fails. That's about it for a pretty mediocre film, with a very diminutive script, truly awful supporting characters, middle of the road acting, and lacklustre direction; Spacey is good, but the constraints of a unimaginative ..everything .. leave him no space to shine. Avoid this film if you can, there are too many boring and inconsequential filler scenes in it to make this an easy sit-through, even with friends. Instead, do go see something else out this week, like Soldier Spy, Machinegun Preacher, 50/50, 1911, Heavy Times, or the superb Drive. Anything really, but not this. Or Melancholia. Final vote, 4/10. Pretty bad.

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• The only real attraction here is the brilliant acting of Kevin Spacey

  vincentlynch-moonoi2013-03-25

  If you watch this movie because it sounds like a great movie, you'll probably be disappointed. It's not great. It's not bad, either. It's okay. If you watch this movie because you enjoy watching Kevin Spacey act, then you'll enjoy this flick. Spacey is that rare actor I can enjoy watching even in a bad movie...and lately some of his flicks haven't been that inspired. But, Spacey is a gem, even when the film isn't. I rather enjoyed Camilla Belle as the daughter and Heather Graham and Anna Anissimova as her friends. John Stamos' part was so small as to be pathetic -- basically 1 scene. Johnny Knoxville did okay as the store manager. To be honest, I've never understood the attraction to Virginia Madsen as an actress, and I still don't. Among these supporting actors, the only one that stands out -- perhaps -- is Camilla Belle. The plot? After Robert Axle (Spacey) goes to prison when one of his inventions maims many customers, he comes out after 8 years. Will he rebuild his reputation? It doesn't seem that way at first when he winds up as a rather unsuccessful custodian in a discount store...and gets fired. But, he finally gets a great idea and makes it a success. The bigger question is whether or not he will be successful in repairing his relationship with his daughter. Unfortunately, the plot is beneath Kevin Spacey. But it's watchable, and of course, his acting is very watchable.

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• Horrible. You'll feel cheated out of the time you could have spent doing ANYTHING else.

  jmbuehler2011-10-12

  Stupendously dumb movie. Complete waste of time, and pretty cringe-worthy to see Spacey struggling with the weak script, the flat acting and cramped humour. Most scenes appear blatant and set up with an idiotic take on what should be the structure of a 'fabrication' of a riches-to-ashes meets my-daddy-is my hero tale. Just watch 'The Pursuit of Happiness' backwards followed by 'Meet the parents', throw in some amateur level editing and Uwe Boll talent for delivering and you get the idea. Definitely Spacey's worst performance and most certainly one of those titles in which most times you'll be asking yourself 'Oh Kevin, what did you do?'. If avoidable you really should. Also, it seems all other (three!) reviews are dupes. Which is why I felt the need to share this.

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• Instead of a comedy about an inventor, we get a dramedy about a father

  napierslogs2011-11-25

  "Father of Invention" stars Kevin Spacey as a fabricator, an infomercial king, who combines existing products into new ones. Problem is he was in jail, now he has lost his empire, and lost his family. The key word in the title is father. The entire film is him trying to reconnect with his daughter (Camilla Belle). Spacey has frequently played fathers trying to reconnect with their daughter, the prime example being "American Beauty" (1999). Not that one is likely to confuse the two films, but there's an underlying similarity about the pursuit of success and the pursuit of family. That's what "Father of Invention" is about but it doesn't actually explore those issues. It's also supposed to be a comedy, but because it was just him and his daughter there was nothing clever that catches you off-guard to make you laugh. The daughter (whom, by the way, I have already forgotten her name) lives with two roommates. One is in love with Kevin Spacey (whom I have also forgotten his character's name) and the other is a lesbian. There was no slow reveal for any of this. Those facts were just presented as if they create whole characters. The conflict which this builds to isn't surprising (it's part of the mandate for dysfunctional family dramedies) or even interesting since we never did care for the characters in the first place. "Father of Invention" certainly didn't invent anything and there's nothing special about the daughter or the father.

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• Kevin Spacey is terrific

  raisleygordon2011-12-31

  Don't listen to the critics who pan this movie. Yes, it is predictable, and obvious. But the movie doesn't preach, condescend, take itself (too) seriously, or take its precious time going somewhere. This is actually better than I expected. No question about it, "Father of Invention" is great entertainment, and very effective. You don't have to be a "genius" to enjoy this movie. I could have done without the subplot regarding Heather Graham's lesbian character. I didn't feel it was necessary. It's just a plot device. And I would have loved to see John Stamos a lot more. With an interesting character as his, that one scene wasn't enough. Although he is mentioned near the end of the film. If you're looking for a quality movie to watch (and enjoy Kevin Spacey), this is that movie. ***1/2

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