First Hit: What a wonderful story about a man going up against a corporation.
My father had a company which built fiberglass parts for the Shelby 350 and 500 mustang cars. This was in the late 1960’s. Although the parts coming off the molds met specifications, Ford was having a hard time using them because their cars weren’t meeting specs. So Ford decided to not meet their end of the agreement which put my dad’s company in financial trouble. Because they were such a large corporation, my dad’s company lawyer told them not to try to sue Ford because they will lose. It caused a lot of heartache to my family and the families that worked at my dad’s company.
Later in life we learned that we would have won a lawsuit against them.
The story of Robert Kerns (played by Greg Kinnear) is a story like the one I experienced, except he went after and sued Ford. He went after them because they stole his design and made money off of it. This is a great David and Goliath story.
Greg Kinnear is wonderful as a father trying to teach his children that there are things worth fighting for. And despite the odds and the personal cost (not only money, but family and friends), in the end it is a worthy fight. The whole film is concise and clear to its aim. Alan Alda is excellent playing a lawyer who initially wants to help Kerns but in the end is really out to help himself.
Overall: This is really a good film and well worth seeing as Kinner embodies this character and really brings him to life.