Real Genius (1985)

Being brilliant doesn't mean you can't have fun, and sometimes the smartest people need reminding of that most of all. Martha Coolidge's "Real Genius," from the director of the surprise hit "Valley Girl," is an underrated college comedy that skips the gross-out gags and offers an early look at Val Kilmer before he became a star. Gabriel Jarret plays Mitch Taylor, a shy 15-year-old prodigy recruited to Pacific Tech, an elite science school, to work on a laser project run by Professor Jerry Hathaway (William Atherton, a reliably slimy villain). Mitch is paired with Chris Knight (Kilmer), a legendary genius and chief troublemaker who has kept his goofy sense of humor. Unbeknownst to the students, Hathaway plans to sell their laser to the government as a weapon. Michelle Meyrink co-stars as a hyperactive fellow student, and Jon Gries plays a burned-out former prodigy living in a closet. Coolidge keeps things lively and never dumbs down a film about smart people, capped by a memorable revenge prank involving an enormous amount of popcorn.