Science and cinema make a brilliant pair on Thursday, October 22, 2026, when the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County hosts Movies Under the Microscope: Real Genius, a special evening built around the beloved 1985 comedy Real Genius. Directed by Martha Coolidge, the film stars Val Kilmer as a wisecracking senior who teams up with a teenage prodigy on a high-powered laser project — the perfect excuse for a night that mixes big laughs with real science at the NHM Commons Theater in Exposition Park.
The fun starts early. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for a lively pre-screening reception in the lobby, with an all-vinyl 80s DJ set, specially curated items from NHM’s History Collection, and pop-ups from Fanbase Press and 1984 Vintage. The NHM Commons Cafe stays open until 7:30 p.m., when the screening begins and runs to 10:00 p.m.
After the credits, a panel of experts separates the movie magic from the real physics, exploring what 80s sci-fi got right — and hilariously wrong. Guests include Dr. David Saltzberg, UCLA professor of physics and astronomy and science consultant on The Big Bang Theory and Oppenheimer; Cody Ziglar, writer for Futurama and Rick and Morty; pop culture educator Jason Patrick Galit; and Beth Werling, NHM’s Senior Collections Manager of History, moderated by Joel Quizon.
Tickets are $25 for general admission and $20 for members, and free parking in the NHM Car Park is included for ticket holders. It is a joyful, brainy night out — and a wonderful reason to see the museum after dark.
Photo: David Leigh Ellis, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
