I.Q. (1994)

I ordinarily abhor movies where-in one character feels compelled to lie to his or her loved one to get them to feel the same way. The fact that I still gave IQ a rating of 7 speaks for its quality, regardless of it's mendacity. Tim Robbins (Edward) had Meg Ryan (Catherine) in the palm of his hand when he was convinced to lie to her about who he is as a human being. They were obviously love-struck at first sight (excellent acting by both, but particularly by Tim Robbins), and the story took a sick twist when Edward begins his ruse. I went from liking Edward, to dis-liking him, in one short minute. How can I root for someone whom I distrust?I almost turned the film off, because this kind of deception and manipulation really makes me angry (even in a movie). When Edward begins having half-hearted reservations about his deceit, it was enough for me to hang on and watch the movie till its end.As I've noted, Tim Robbins' acting in this movie is excellent, as he plays a somewhat suave, sexy character, entranced by Catherine. Ryan does a great job playing the part of a woman star-struck by Edward. This should have been a great movie, with a departure in the plot here: Einstein: "The problem is, she would not go out with someone like you!" Edward: "No...No. I'd never lie to her like that. I'll take my chances".

Normally I don't write reviews for movies that have been around awhile and/or have other good reviews (and there are many for this movie), but when I saw that the overall rating for this movie was a 6 I decided that I had to step in and record my vote as well as give it some props here.I.Q. is a treat. A nice, cute movie. I'm not saying it's the greatest movie ever made or that it will change your world, but it's a joy.Walter Matthau, as always, is great. Tim Robbins once again shows why any movie he's in is worth watching. (Well, maybe not The Hudsucker Proxy, but that's not his fault!!) And Meg Ryan simply glows. She has never looked or acted better. As with any good movie, the supporting cast also shines. There's some familiar faces like Lou Jacobi and some different faces.It is also a very nice looking movie. Maybe the Director coming from Australia is a factor as sometimes it takes an outsider to see the beauty of New Jersey!! And that Princeton part of Joisey is certainly beautiful.You'll enjoy yourself with this movie.

While Fred Schepisi's "I.Q." doesn't really have any important qualities, it's still worth seeing. Walter Matthau plays Albert Einstein, trying to help mechanic Ed Walters (Tim Robbins) fall in love with Princeton mathematics doctoral candidate Catherine Boyd (Meg Ryan). Probably the funniest scene is when Dr. Frizzyhead and friends (Lou Jacobi, Gene Saks and Joseph Maher) try to make Ed look like a scientist: he ends up looking like a French impressionist.Obviously little of the movie is historically accurate, but that's not the point. It's not intended as anything except a light comedy, quite the opposite of Robbins's most famous movie from 1994 (The Shawshank Redemption). A movie about Einstein's whole life would have to focus not only on his scientific achievements, but also his political activism, namely how he wrote a letter on behalf of the Scottsboro Nine and came out against nuclear weapons (it got to the point where the FBI kept a file on him).So anyway, this one is acceptable. Also starring Stephen Fry, Tony Shalhoub, Frank Whaley, Charles Durning and Keene Curtis.

Tim Robbins is oddly benign here, cast as a garage mechanic in 1950s New Jersey who falls in love with a perky blonde who turns out to be Albert Einstein's niece! Although he's on-screen much of the time, Robbins cancels out the inner-workings of his intense persona and fades into the background (it's easy to forget he's even in the picture!). Lumpy romantic comedy with a gimmick, that being Walter Matthau playing Einstein (who does what he can with a cartoonishly conceived character). Otherwise, it's sugary and sunny, directed rather drowsily by Fred Schepisi, who shows heart but no wit or brains. Meg Ryan is her usual affable self and the chemistry between she and Robbins is charming, like that of an affectionate sister and her big brother. ** from ****