July 23, 2008

What Lauren Graham can teach us about windshield wipers

In between whatever else I was just doing, I was wondering when we'd next see Lauren Graham on TV or at the cineplex. (Aside: Hard to imagine a time before IMDB, isn't it?)

Turns out she'll appear in the fall 2008 release "Flash of Genius," - trailer here - the BOATS (that's "based on a true story") starring Greg Kinnear as the dude who invents intermittent windshield wipers (aside: Hard to imagine people not being able to wipe their windshields intermittently, isn't it?), has the invention appropriated by Ford and almost every other automaker, then sues them all for patent infringement. This probably won't have massive box office appeal, but I'm totally into it. (Oh, Ms. Graham plays the inventor's wife, if you're still following my train of thought.)

The movie also is another chance for Greg Kinnear to wear bad polyester suits, which he's probably only worn in one or two movies, but seem to me to be his de facto moviemaking uniform.

Anyway, the story seemed pretty interesting, so I followed the link to the 1993 New Yorker article upon which the movie is based, which is here. I'd say something like "spoiler alert," but since there's a movie about it, you probably have a basic idea of how the story ends up.

5 comments:

Loree said...

She's always the wife in movies! I wish she'd be given something better to work with.

Also, this movie has the potential to be really interesting or really terrible.

Your escalator operator said...

I agree. She needs better material. (Although, she should not go the Heigl route and insult the writers for not giving her good enough stuff to work with.) Bad Santa was cool, though.
Interesting or terrible - I'm thinking people have said the same thing about this blog. :)

"Highland Park" Attorney said...

I am not one to defend Ford, currently owing my loyalty to my Chevy Tahoe, but I have one word re the movie.....PATENT!!!

Of course that was a different age then now.

Your escalator operator said...

HPA -- If I'm reading your comment correctly, the answer is that he DID have a patent but all of the companies used his basic design anyway. I think the fact that he had the patent gave him an edge when he successfully sued all of the companies. All of the juicy details are in that New Yorker article.

Anonymous said...

I'm not reading the articles, but I'm glad you're so interested in the career of Lauren Graham.
(miss me? we lost power yesterday, as to the delay in my response. ALL DAY. slept at susan & joel's place as they were out of town)