I don't know if Kevin Spacey made this atrocious movie because he lost a bet, or was simply doing someone a favor, but it CAN'T be for the quality of the script!Spacey plays the character Robert Axle, a 'fabricator' who invented a hazardous product that landed him in prison for 10 years. After he gets out, he reconnects with his daughter who wants nothing to do with him, and ditsy ex-wife who has burnt through the fortune he left behind trying to record an album (although completely tone deaf, but nobody will tell her).Axle cleans up his disheveled prison look (complete with a man bun), to 'fabricate' a successful child finder wristwatch, which completely redeems his career. If my review sounds like a complete mess, than I have accurately captured the essence of this movie. It's hard to believe the genius behind 'American Beauty' and 'The Usual Suspects' had anything to do with this incredible waste of time. Gave a VERY generous 2* out of 10.

Wow, all the negative reviews on here babbling on and on about 'direction' and 'script' and so on, from a bunch of armchair quarterback directors. Most of these people have no background in film, for sure. It's not an easy thing to make a movie but certainly is easy to watch it in your living room and then look up a glossary of movie terms so you can slay it in the reviews. I like this film. It's not an epic, but it's not supposed to be. Good performances all around. A little humor and something to think about. Decently paced. I enjoyed it. Kevin Spacey is, as always, really good. Virginia Madsen, as always, was really good. The rest of the cast also did a great job.

Confession: I've read a bazillion IMDb reviews but have never felt compelled to actually sign up and write a review until seeing this movie. The storyline does follow face value conventions elemental to this genre, but typically in movies like this, the protagonist's return to favor is a self-contrived path to virtue by way of owning that he's a slouch, waging a virtuous penance campaign, earning his way out, and ending up happy with glory, gold, and girl. This movie is somewhat the same, but in ways entirely different.This movie departs from the tired-out "earn your own way out" meme common to this genre. Spacey's character endears believably. Despite good intentions, he remains realistically flawed from start to end. The movie also scores real life credibility points in the way those hurt by Spacey's selfishness realize that the most "selfish" thing they can do in return is to forgive him for the sake of their own peace of heart. Those departures of character give the movie a true-to-life feel in the way everyday people make everyday decisions to either condemn or forgive offenses.This is not to say that complete, total gracelessness doesn't have its place in movies. Inglorious Basterds, for example, did that for me with perfect aplomb. This movie does the opposite, also brilliantly, by exposition of judgment collapse after judgment collapse without syrupy over-sentiment. Even the hilariously lewd piano song during the closing credits (which will SO go viral) is itself the movie's final, superbly conceived act of judgment collapse. We humans are happier when we forgive offenses, and to see a movie that conveys that truth without being fake, Church-Ladyish, and corny was sheer inspiration me.

If you find yourself coming to IMDb for a sneak peek at your next movie outing, please remember this rule: reviewers who vote a film 8* or more, if they have only one, or two at the most, reviews posted .. are probably what the industry calls "sponsored reviewers" or, in layman's terms, "professional bullsh**ers".Unfortunately Father of Invention is one of those titles that the parent studio feels needs sponsored reviews, as you can see for yourself if you browse the few reviews here on IMDb (just click on the Author's name in the review); the film isn't terrible, but apart from Kevin Spacey doing his best, there really isn't much of a story to keep it afloat.Rober "Bob" Axel has just come out of jail for marketing a faulty product (whait, what? do corporation chairmen go to jail for that? this film must be set in a parallel universe where criminal charges apply differently than real-life US), and he has to start again from the bottom rung of society, trying to rebuild all he lost, including his family, car, friends, and all that upper-crust stuff. He fails. That's about it for a pretty mediocre film, with a very diminutive script, truly awful supporting characters, middle of the road acting, and lacklustre direction; Spacey is good, but the constraints of a unimaginative ..everything .. leave him no space to shine.Avoid this film if you can, there are too many boring and inconsequential filler scenes in it to make this an easy sit-through, even with friends. Instead, do go see something else out this week, like Soldier Spy, Machinegun Preacher, 50/50, 1911, Heavy Times, or the superb Drive. Anything really, but not this. Or Melancholia.Final vote, 4/10. Pretty bad.