Real Genius: Our Favorite Science Films

We asked a few of our Sloan alums to tell us their favorite science or technology-centric films. First up is Jenny Deller, whose pick is Martha Coolidge's 1985 classic about brilliant goofballs at an elite technical university.

My favorite science movie is Real Genius. It's about these teen science geniuses, led by Val Kilmer, who unbeknownst to them are being used to create a laser for a military weapon -- much more of a hot topic in the '80s.

I loved getting a peek into this dorm full of loveable physics students, who are just as goofy, creative and hormone-addled as everyone is at that age. Oddly enough, I ended up going to a math and science boarding school. But unlike the movie, we didn't use a laser to heat up enough popcorn to burst through an entire house.

Future WeatherCineastePlazm

[Photo, top: Real Genius, TriStar Pictures, 1985]