| The Genius Club | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Tim Chey |
| Produced by | Executive Producer: Keiki Nishimura Stephen Baldwin and others. Producers: Arch Bonnema Daishi Takiishi Tim Chey and others. |
| Written by | Tim Chey |
| Starring | Stephen Baldwin Tom Sizemore Jack Scalia |
| Music by | Daniel Bijan |
| Cinematography | Tyler Allison |
| Editing by | Tim Chey |
| Distributed by | RiverRain Productions |
| Release date(s) | October 27, 2006 (United States) |
| Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Genius Club is a 2006 film from the United States written and directed by Tim Chey. The film was released on October 27, 2006 via the Cinemark Theaters.[1]
The film tells the story of seven geniuses who try to solve the world's problems in one night in order to prevent a nuclear bomb from exploding in Washington, D.C. The film was produced and distributed by Cloud Ten Pictures and RiverRain Productions.
Contents |
On Christmas Eve, Armand (Tom Sizemore), a terrorist who has a hidden nuclear device in Washington D.C., forces the president of the United States government (Jack Scalia) to round up seven geniuses with IQs over 200. The group consists of a casino owner (Carol Abney), a biochemist (Paula Jai Parker), a pro-baseball player (Matt Medrano), a seminary student (Jacob Bonnema), an economics professor, a painter (Tricia Helfer), and a pizza delivery guy (Stephen Baldwin).
The government is to place them in a bomb shelter and explain to the group that they are to solve the world's problems in one night; if they fail to gather a thousand point till the morning, the terrorist will detonate the hidden nuclear device planted in the basement of the 'genius lair'.
The film was marketed during the 2007 Marché du Film (film market) which ran simultaneously with the 60th annual Cannes Film Festival.
Director Tim Chey wanted to make a film about the world's issues while combining the humanity and intelligence of the various character geniuses.[2] Arch Bonnema produced the film, and his son Jacob plays Jacob Chernov, the seminary student.
The film is not explicitly religious, though it is Christian in its tone and message; seminary student Chernov, for example, at times quotes the Bible and answers the "meaning of life" question by observing that "there is no meaning outside of God."
Both director Tim Chey, who is a Christian, and the producers believed it was important that a "real Christian" play the part of Jacob Chernov, hence the selection of Jacob Bonnema, a Christian like his father.[3]
Many American critics thought that the movie was static and heavy-handed.[4][5]
Yet, its Christian message did appeal to critics from Southern Vanity, a Dallas-based lifestyle magazine, and it won the Dove "Family Approved" Seal in June 2008.[6]
The movie was released on DVD in September 2008.