Infinity (1996 film)

{{Infobox film

| name = Infinity

| image = Infinity film poster.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| based_on = {{based on|Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! and What Do You Care What Other People Think??|Richard Feynman & Ralph Leighton}}

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Matthew Broderick
Patricia Broderick
Michael Leahy
Joel Soisson

}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| cinematography = Toyomichi Kurita

| editing = Bill Johnson

| music = Bruce Broughton

| distributor = First Look Pictures

| released = {{film date|1996|10|4}}

| runtime = 119 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $5 million{{cite news|last=McKenna|first=Kristine|title=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)|date=27 November 1994|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-11-27-ca-2151-story.html|access-date=1 February 2024|archive-date=11 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811223757/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-11-27-ca-2151-story.html|url-status=live}}

| gross = $195,170{{cite web |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=infinity.htm |title=Infinity (1996) |website=Box Office Mojo |date=1996-10-22 |access-date=2013-05-28 |archive-date=2013-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513072806/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=infinity.htm |url-status=live }}

}}

Infinity is a 1996 American biographical film about the romantic life of physicist Richard Feynman. Feynman was played by Matthew Broderick, who also directed and co-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.{{cite news|last=Howe|first=Desson|title=INFINITY' ADDS UP|date=4 October 1996|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/10/04/infinity-adds-up/53d74850-2f6a-46db-a9b1-e64da5d5d37c/|access-date=10 February 2019|archive-date=28 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428050645/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/10/04/infinity-adds-up/53d74850-2f6a-46db-a9b1-e64da5d5d37c/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Holden|first=Stephen|title=A Man, a Woman and an Atomic Bomb|date=4 October 1996|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/04/movies/a-man-a-woman-and-an-atomic-bomb.html|access-date=10 February 2019|archive-date=5 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505211518/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/04/movies/a-man-a-woman-and-an-atomic-bomb.html|url-status=live}} It is the only film Broderick has ever directed.

Plot

In 1924, Richard and his father Melville walk 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 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

{{Cast listing|

Matthew Broderick as Richard Feynman
Jeffrey Force as Young Richard Feynman
Patricia Arquette as Arline Greenbaum, Feynman's first wife
Peter Riegert as Melville "Mel" Feynman, Feynman's father
Željko Ivanek as Bill Price
Dori Brenner as Tutti Feynman
Peter Michael Goetz as Dr. Murray Gell-Mann
Joyce Van Patten as Aunt Ruth
James LeGros as John Archibald Wheeler, Thesis advisor at Princeton
David Drew Gallagher as Harold
Raffi Di Blasio as Robert
Joshua Keaton as David
James Hong as Abacus Adder
Emerson Tran as Kid
Kristin Dattilo as Joan Feynman, Sister of Richard Feynman
Melissa DeLizia as Young Joan Feynman
John Hammil as County Dr. #1
Mary Pat Gleason as County Dr. #2
Helene Moore as County Nurse #1
Jack Lindine as Mr. Greenbaum, Arline's father
Horton Foote Jr. as Neighborhood Doctor
Mary Kay Wulf as Aunt Rose
Laurence Haddon as Family Doctor
Tom Kurlander as Driver
Mark Burnham as Passenger #1
Googy Gress as Passenger #2
Joshua Goldin as Passenger #3
Erich Anderson as Gil
Matt Mulhern as Gate Guard
Drew Ebersole as Calculator Kid #1
Damion Scheller as Calculator Kid #2
Joshua Malina as Calculator Kid #3
Demetrius Navarro as Calculator Kid #4
John Patterson as Stan Ivanek
Cosimo Sherman as Garo
Geoffrey Nauffts as Rob
David Barrera as Chepa
Patrick James Clarke as Strong Fellow
Kirk Fox as Mechanic
Marianne Muellerleile as Nurse Gracie
Michelle Feynman as Sewing Girl on Train
Bill Bolender as Isidor Isaac Rabi
Corbitt Smith as Henry

}}

Production

The film follows the 1988 book What Do You Care What Other People Think? fairly closely in terms of the stories told.

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."

Broderick later said in 1997, "It was a difficult job and took four years from start to finish."{{cite news|last=Nichols|first=Peter M.|title=Sensitive Love Story 'Infinity' is Now Available on Video|date=20 January 1997|newspaper=Deseret News|url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/538545/SENSITIVE-LOVE-STORY-INFINITY-IS-NOW-AVAILABLE-ON-VIDEO.html|access-date=10 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004100442/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/538545/SENSITIVE-LOVE-STORY-INFINITY-IS-NOW-AVAILABLE-ON-VIDEO.html |archive-date=October 4, 2018 |url-status=dead}}

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 62% rating based on reviews from 13 critics.{{cite web |title=Infinity |work=Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1072683_infinity |access-date=1 February 2024 }} Roger Ebert awarded the film three out of four stars.{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|title=Infinity|date=4 October 1996|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|publisher=Sun-Times Media Group|location=Chicago, Illinois|via=RogerEbert.com|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/infinity-1996|access-date=10 February 2019|archive-date=25 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221225173406/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/infinity-1996|url-status=live}} Leonard Maltin awarded it two and a half stars.{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780452289789|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780452289789/page/671 671]|quote=matthew broderick richard feynman.|last1=Maltin|first1=Leonard|last2=Sader|first2=Luke|last3=Clark|first3=Mike|title=Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide|year=2008|publisher=Penguin|isbn=9780452289789}}page 671

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."{{cite magazine|last=Levy|first=Emanuel|title=Infinity|date=15 September 1996|magazine=Variety|url=https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/infinity-1200446850/|access-date=10 February 2019}} John Krewson of The A.V. Club gave it a positive review and wrote that "saps, scientific or otherwise, will enjoy it."{{cite news|last=Krewson|first=John|title=Infinity|date=29 March 2002|newspaper=The A.V. Club|url=https://www.avclub.com/infinity-1798196186|access-date=10 February 2019}}