Smart People
An unexpected romance with a charming former student (Sarah Jessica Parker) and a surprise visit from his wild adopted brother (Thomas Haden Church) conspire to turn the life of surly widowed professor Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) upside down. But after nursing his bitterness for so many years, is the self-absorbed academic ready for change? Ellen Page and Ashton Holmes co-star in this witty dramedy from director Noam Murro.
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It's actually 3.5 stars. I just couldn't clarify that in the ratings. But it's good - certainly better than the reviews that panned it. Not remarkably, but a good little flick.- spprs
This movie was ok I suppose. The acting is very good, but there isn't really much of a story. Nothing in particular happens, its just people interacting. You will get pretty much the same experience by going down to your local mall and watching people for a couple of hours. Sure, it can be interesting, but that isn't what I am really looking for in a movie.
- JG 582572
Marketing for this movie is misleading. They sell it as a smart and witty movie, but it is anything but. Depressing and slow fit the bill more appropriately. Not even Thomas Haden Church's presence brings the rest of the cast to life.
- FR 698504
Movie started off a bit slow for me but was eventually drawn to Quaids rather dark character - a man clearly in grief and stuck in a rut. Sarah Jessica Parker turns in a surprisingly fine performance as a near middle aged doctor who seems to be in her own type of rut. Thomas Haden Church does what he does best - playing Thomas Haden Church which is fine by me as he is the perfect middle aged slacker. Kudos to Ellen Page for her cynical coming of age performance. You may not like any of these characters at the beginning of film but you will find yourself pulling for them in the end. Flix it!
- Flix Guru
Dennis Quaid plays a very intelligent, very mean college professor that is still mourning his wife's death. The film has a very sad/depressed feel to it which helps to suck us into the main character's feeling towards life and other people. His self-absorbtion keeps him from ever getting to know his students, not even those with a serious crush on him, namely Sarah Jessica Parker. The story follows Quaid's attempts and failures to reenter the world. Ellen Page and Thomas Haden Church give excellent supporting rolls as the exceptionaly smart daughter and loser brother, respectively of course. The chemistry between Parker and Quaid is awkward which adds to the film in a unique way. The film does not progress quickly but instead gives time to its characters and allows you to accept them as they are and dream for what they can become.
- Mastermindobu
There's nothing smart or entertaining about Smart People. A poorly-developed storyline and unlikable characters make this an unsatisfying film, despite the talented cast. Dennis Quaid portrays what is perhaps the most narcissistic and hateful college professor in America, and as the central character of the film, well-tread stories are built around a character we loathe in the first 10 minutes. Ellen Page is wasted as an intelligent but selfish teen, while Sarah Jessica Parker portrays an ambivalent doctor who wishes she were someone else. She seems the kind of woman who simultaneously hates and envies Parker's alter-ego from Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw. Thomas Haden Church is only shinning light of this movie, and even he is forced to portray moments of awkwardness and flat dialogue. Slow pacing doesn't help a story that includes premises stolen from multiple independent films, and as a result, the final film is a predictable mess of slow-moving, thin plots. After watching an hour of the movie, I finally turned it off because I truly felt I was wasting my time. An awful film not recommended for anyone.
- Author Allen
Since it's festival circuit, and knowing the cast involved as well having an idea of the plot beforehand, I was very excited to see this. This movie is about as fun as getting shot in the foot. There are moments - but they are few and far between - when you'll find the characters in funny situations, or hear them say hilarious things. For the most part though, the characters themselves are as unlikeable as those in the similar movie titled "The Savages". If this is how smart people behave, I am glad that I am not smart. You will be so bored watching this, you just don't even know. It may be hard to believe, but please heed my warning and stick to better fare from any of the actors involved - you'll be glad you did.
- MCWHAMMER
The main reason I watched this was Ellen Page, I adore her she is so good in everything she does, the movie itself was fairly entertaining and definitely worth a watch.
- Digitalbrian
This is the kind of small ensemble piece than makes a movie, theatre. Four primary characters built on four superb performances come together to bring this Mark Poirier screenplay to life in that way a good book makes you feel regret when the last paragraph is done. Dennis Quaid as an English professor and father nearly as oblivious to his kids as he is to his students is spot-on casting. Sarah Jessica Parker has the role of Dr. Janet Hartigan, the love interest and former student hits just the right tones. The show stealer is Ellen Page. In the role of Vanessa Whetherhold, the professors daughter, she not only holds her own in scenes with respected veteran performers, she seems to push the more experienced cast members to Up their game. Thomas Hayden Church (Sideways)is the professors perennial underachieving adopted brother who brings balance and momentum to this project deftly directed by Noam Murro. The acidic dialogue between the professor and his brother is constantly amusing while the interplay of the cast is sharp and complex. In short, I found Smart People to be a joy to experience. I recommend it highly to fans of dark humor and comedic drama. I hope my thoughts are helpful 09/13/08 ~~~Wingz
- Wingz
Not as good as it thinks it is, SMART PEOPLE is still worth a watch. The performances of everyone pictured on the box cover are all spot-on. My first thought was that it was trying to be WONDER BOYS a little too much. Also my last thought. Ellen Page continues to add to her already considerable body of work with another great performance. And, Dennis Quaid surprised me, although he wasn't quite as convincingly smart as he was supposed to be. Thomas Haden Church goes a long way in this one to secure his place as one of my favorite supporting actors in indie-type dramadies. You'd do better watching WONDER BOYS if you haven't seen it, but this one is not a complete waste of time. [09-26-08]
- Firewater