I was somewhat disappointed in I.Q., having heard a bit of "buzz" about it in recent months. What we have is a neat premise, auto mechanic in 50's New Jersey happens to meet the niece of Albert Einstein, pursues her romantically, and along the way meets Albert and his retired cronies. If I could fault the film for two reasons, they would be a weak script, and lack of chemistry between Tim Robbins and Meg Ryan. On the positive side, Walter Matthau was perfectly cast as the elderly Einstein, who became Ryan's guardian when his brother died. The scenery and evocation of small town 1950's New Jersey, including numerous vintage cars of the era, was very well done. I thought the motorcycle ride was one of the highlights of the film. Tim Robbins' character seems to change abruptly when he undergoes a fashion and hairstyle makeover. Whereas before this he was confident and assertive, through the rest of the story he seems troubled, jittery and low in self-esteem. Something about Meg Ryan's character bothered me, and I never really bought into the notion that this intellectual would be seriously interested in Robbins. Also, I think Einstein's three wacky "buddies" are in way too many scenes for the amount of corny humor they actually provide. To sum up, passable romantic comedy with a happy ending that fans of the genre may enjoy, but it could have been so much better.
Review of I.Q.
