The Manhattan Project (film)

The Manhattan Project is an American film, released in 1986. Named after the World War IIera program that constructed the first atomic bombs, the plot revolves around a gifted high school student who decides to construct an atomic bomb for a national science fair. It was directed by Marshall Brickman, based upon his screenplay cowritten with Thomas Baum, and starred John Lithgow, Christopher Collet, John Mahoney, Jill Eikenberry and Cynthia Nixon. This was the first production from shortlived Gladden Entertainment.

Mathewson is confident in the labs cover story but Paul, an unusually gifted student with a passion for science, becomes suspicious when he discovers a statistically impossible patch of fiveleaf clover on the grounds. Paul and his aspiring journalist girlfriend, Jenny Anderman Cynthia Nixon, decide to expose the weapons factory in dramatic fashion. Paul breaks into the lab and steals a container of plutonium. To obtain maximum publicity, Paul decides to build an atomic bomb and enter it into the New York Science Fair. After convincing his mother and his school that his project is about hamsters bred in darkness, he begins research and construction of the nuclear device.The lab discovers that a container of plutonium has been replaced by a bottle of shampoo mixed with glitter. A military investigation team, led by Lt. Colonel Conroy John Mahoney, arrives on the scene and their investigation reveals that Paul is responsible for stealing the plutonium. Suspecting him of terrorism, the investigators search Pauls home and discover that he and Jenny have left for the science fair. ........

Source: Wikipedia