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Infinity (film)

Infinity (film)

Infinity is a 1996 American biographical drama film about the early life of physicist Richard Feynman. Feynman was played by Matthew Broderick, who also directed and produced the film. Broderick's mother, Patricia Broderick, wrote the screenplay, which was based on the books Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! and What Do You Care What Other People Think?, both written by Feynman and Ralph Leighton.[3][4]

Infinity
Directed byMatthew Broderick
Produced byMatthew Broderick
Patricia Broderick
Michael Leahy
Joel Soisson
Screenplay byPatricia Broderick
Based onSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! and What Do You Care What Other People Think?
by Richard Feynman
Ralph Leighton
Starring
  • Matthew Broderick
  • Patricia Arquette
  • Peter Riegert
  • Željko Ivanek
Music byBruce Broughton
CinematographyToyomichi Kurita
Edited byBill Johnson
Distributed byFirst Look Pictures
Release date
October 4, 1996
Running time
119 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million[1]
Box office$195,170[2]

Plot

The film follows the book What Do You Care What Other People Think? fairly closely in terms of the stories told.

The film starts in 1924 with Richard and his father Melville walking through the woods where Melville shows his scientific inspiration for Richard. In 1934, Richard and Arline are in high school and their romantic relationship starts. The story then jumps to his college years and Arline getting sick with lymphatic tuberculosis. It continues to his move west to Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where Arline follows him later to a hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she dies. The film ends with Feynman crying at the sight of the red dress Arline had pointed out.

Cast

ActorRoleNotes
Matthew BroderickRichard Feynman
Patricia ArquetteArline GreenbaumFeynman's first wife & lover
Peter RiegertMelville "Mel" FeynmanFeynman's father
Dori BrennerTutti Feynman
Peter Michael GoetzDr. Murray Gell-Mann
Željko IvanekBill Price
Joyce Van PattenAunt Ruth
James LeGrosJohn Archibald WheelerThesis advisor at Princeton
Jeffrey ForceYoung Richard Feynman
David Drew GallagherHarold
Raffi Di BlasioRobert
Joshua KeatonDavid
James HongAbacus Adder
Emerson TranKid
Melissa DeLiziaYoung Joan
John HammilCounty Dr. #1
Jack LindineMr. GreenbaumArline's father
Helene MooreCounty Nurse #1
Mary Pat GleasonCounty Dr. #2
Horton Foote Jr.Neighborhood Doctor
Mary Kay WulfAunt Rose
Laurence HaddonFamily Doctor
Tom KurlanderDriver
Mark BurnhamPassenger #1
Googy GressPassenger #2
Joshua GoldinPassenger #3
Erich AndersonGil
Matt MulhernGate Guard
Drew EbersoleCalculator Kid #1
John PattersonStan Ivanek
Damion SchellerCalculator Kid #2
Joshua MalinaCalculator Kid #3
Demetrius NavarroCalculator Kid #4
Cosimo ShermanGaro
Geoffrey NaufftsRob
David BarreraChepa
Patrick James ClarkeStrong Fellow
Kirk FoxMechanic
Marianne MuellerleileNurse Gracie
Michelle FeynmanSewing Girl on TrainCameo by Michelle, Richard Feynman's daughter (adopted)
Kristin DattiloJoan FeynmanSister of Richard Feynman
Bill BolenderIsidor Rabi
Corbitt SmithHenry

Production

In 1994, Broderick said of the project, "The obvious way to structure a film about Feynman would be to open with the Challenger disaster: The crazy old genius comes along and figures everything out, then he drifts into a reverie along the lines of 'A long time ago I met a girl.. . .' We didn't do that, because we want this to be an intimate movie and thought focusing on one period of his life that includes the invention of the bomb and the death of his first wife was enough."[1]

Broderick later said in 1997, "It was a difficult job and took four years from start to finish."[5]

Reception

The film has a 62% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[6] Roger Ebert awarded the film three stars.[7] Leonard Maltin awarded it two and a half stars.[8]

Emanuel Levy of Variety gave the film a negative review and described the film as "a flawed movie that suffers from a weak performance by Patricia Arquette."[9] On the other hand, John Krewson of The A.V. Club gave it a positive review and wrote that "saps, scientific or otherwise, will enjoy it."[10]

References

[1]
Citation Linkarticles.latimes.comMcKenna, Kristine (27 November 1994). "Mr. Feynman's Day Off : The late Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman had a passion for the bongos, mischief and physics. Now the first marriage of the genius turned folk hero has become an unlikely love story from star-director Matthew Broderick. (page 2 of 3)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[2]
Citation Linkwww.boxofficemojo.com"Infinity (1996)". Box Office Mojo. 1996-10-22. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[3]
Citation Linkwww.washingtonpost.comHowe, Desson (4 October 1996). "INFINITY' ADDS UP". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[4]
Citation Linkwww.nytimes.comHolden, Stephen (4 October 1996). "A Man, a Woman and an Atomic Bomb". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[5]
Citation Linkwww.deseretnews.comNichols, Peter M. (20 January 1997). "SENSITIVE LOVE STORY `INFINITY' IS NOW AVAILABLE ON VIDEO". Deseret News. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[6]
Citation Linkwww.rottentomatoes.com"Infinity". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[7]
Citation Linkwww.rogerebert.comEbert, Roger (4 October 1996). "Infinity". Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago, Illinois: Sun-Times Media Group. Retrieved 10 February 2019 – via RogerEbert.com.
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[8]
Citation Linkbooks.google.comMaltin, Leonard; Sader, Luke; Clark, Mike (2008). Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide. Penguin. ISBN 9780452289789.page 671
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[9]
Citation Linkvariety.comLevy, Emanuel (15 September 1996). "Infinity". Variety. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[10]
Citation Linkfilm.avclub.comKrewson, John (29 March 2002). "Infinity". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[11]
Citation Linkwww.allmovie.comInfinity
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[12]
Citation Linkwww.imdb.comInfinity
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[13]
Citation Linkwww.rottentomatoes.comInfinity
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[14]
Citation Linkwww.boxofficemojo.comInfinity
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[15]
Citation Linkarticles.latimes.com"Mr. Feynman's Day Off : The late Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman had a passion for the bongos, mischief and physics. Now the first marriage of the genius turned folk hero has become an unlikely love story from star-director Matthew Broderick. (page 2 of 3)"
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[16]
Citation Linkwww.boxofficemojo.com"Infinity (1996)"
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[17]
Citation Linkwww.washingtonpost.com"INFINITY' ADDS UP"
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[18]
Citation Linkwww.nytimes.com"A Man, a Woman and an Atomic Bomb"
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[19]
Citation Linkwww.deseretnews.com"SENSITIVE LOVE STORY `INFINITY' IS NOW AVAILABLE ON VIDEO"
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM
[20]
Citation Linkwww.rottentomatoes.com"Infinity"
Sep 21, 2019, 3:27 PM