Smart People Release Date: April 11, 2008 Studio: Miramax Films Director: Noam Murro Screenwriter: Mark Poirier Starring: Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page, Thomas Haden
Church, Ashton Holmes, Christine Lahti Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance MPAA Rating: R (for language, brief teen drug and alcohol use, and for
some sexuality) Official Website:
SmartPeople-themovie.com
Plot Summary: Professor Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) might be
imperiously brilliant, monumentally self-possessed and an intellectual giant –
but when it comes to solving the conundrums of love and family, he's as
downright flummoxed as the next guy. His teenaged daughter (Ellen Page) is an
acid-tongued overachiever who follows all too closely in dad's misery-loving
footsteps, and his adopted, preposterously ne'er-do-well brother (Thomas Haden
Church) has perfected the art of freeloading. A widower who can't seem to find
passion in anything anymore, not even the Victorian Literature in which he's an
expert, it seems Lawrence is sleepwalking through a very stunted middle age.
When his brother shows up unexpectedly for an extended stay at just about the
same time as he accidentally encounters his former student Janet (Sarah Jessica
Parker), the circumstances cause him to stir from his deep, deep freeze, with
often comical, sometimes heartbreaking, consequences for himself and everyone
around him
EN 5 Second Review:
Discerning high-schoolers and lots of adults may be
amused and engaged by "Smart People," in which it is proved that perfect
SAT scores and huge vocabularies cannot bring happiness.
"Smart
People" never insults your intelligence. Like its central character, it
has high standards Rafer Guzman: Newsday
Quaid finds what is funny and endearing and worthy in the
character, and his performance holds this fine, if somewhat fragile,
film together...more
"Smart
People" is an effortful attempt at the sort of trenchant
comedy a film such as "Sideways" managed without breaking a
sweat Michael Phillips: Chicago Tribune
While Smart People, wouldn't necessarily have taken
off with a different leading actor, Quaid's self-conscious
characterization calls attention to the artificiality of the
story's construction...more
EN 5 Second Review:
Discerning high-schoolers and lots of adults may be
amused and engaged by "Smart People," in which it is proved that perfect
SAT scores and huge vocabularies cannot bring happiness.
"Smart
People" is an effortful attempt at the sort of trenchant
comedy a film such as "Sideways" managed without breaking a
sweat