Bad Genius is a movie about a smart but poor scholar named Lynn, who gets involved in a cash-for-answers scheme to help out with her family's finances. She gets caught supplying answers to her classmates, and loses her scholarship. Not deterred, she hatches an even bigger, bolder scheme with a bigger target - the STIC exam.Together with an accomplice, they take the exam in Sydney, which has a 4-hour headstart to the rest of the world due to the timezone difference. During the breaks, they would go to the loo and send out the answers via SMS using hidden mobile phones. Plan sounds great on paper, but when you're holding up the cubicle for a long time, people tend to become suspicious. They eventually get caught out, but not before sending off the answers to Thailand, where their clients are patiently waiting. In the last scene of the movie, Lynn is blackmailed by her accomplice. Deciding to be honest this time, she goes to the authorities and makes a confession.
Interesting plot, but a little bit over dramatic and drawn out for me. A lot of unnecessary scenes to heighten the tension. And I doubt that finger-drumming actually works as a cheating method. Given how the seats are positioned, it would be hard for the concerned parties to see clearly Lynn's finger-drumming sequences. If the proctor had been paying attention, he would've noticed all of those sideway glances and a lot of finger-drumming as answers are being relayed. If not the proctor, other students not in on the scheme would've noticed something amiss and called it out.
All in all, the movie is not too bad, genius.
