Real Genius is a 1985 satirical comedy film starring Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret. The film is set on the campus of "Pacific Tech", a fictitious technical university in the US based on Caltech, although some elements of the plot and campus refer to events at Carnegie Mellon University. Chris Knight (Kilmer), is a genius in his senior year working on a chemical laser. He came to the university as a somber, assiduous student but mellowed over time...
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Real Genius is a 1985 satirical comedy film starring Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret. The film is set on the campus of "Pacific Tech", a fictitious technical university in the US based on Caltech, although some elements of the plot and campus refer to events at Carnegie Mellon University. Chris Knight (Kilmer), is a genius in his senior year working on a chemical laser. He came to the university as a somber, assiduous student but mellowed over time after deciding that there is more to life than just work. Mitch Taylor (Jarret) is a new student on campus who is paired up with Knight to work on the laser. Mitch is much like Knight used to be, and has trouble settling in. Eventually, Knight teaches Mitch how to enjoy himself and live on campus without "burning out".
The military contracts Professor Jerry Hathaway (William Atherton) of Pacific Tech to construct a chemical laser weapon capable of eliminating individual human targets from space. To this end, Hathaway forms a research team...
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