Spring Break
'Smart People' A Smart Choice
Movie Review
Diane Dauplaise
Issue date: 4/17/08 Section: Focus
As a film, "Smart People" is a departure from the quirky laugh-out-loud comedic style of Ellen Page's premiere role in "Juno." True to its title the film derives much of its comedic appeal from subtle, witty comments expected of smart people. The movie follows the motherless Wetherhold family through their father's - played by Dennis Quaid - awkward and at times traumatic dating experience with his physician Sarah Jessica Parker. Quaid is a cynical and idiosyncratic college professor at Carnagie Mellon University who is more or less completely oblivious to the emotional aspects of any person or situation he encounters. He finds himself completely wrapped up in ambitious pursuits such as attaining the position of English department head at the university and having another one of his books published. Throughout his pursuits he also plays the tired role of clueless dad who knows nothing about his own son's blossoming writing career or that he has transformed his daughter - Ellen Page - into the same type of unemotional cyborg. In an even more clichéd manner of course this all changes once he meets his love interest Dr. Hartigan played by Parker.
The film tried so hard to not fit into any one genre that it ended up just a warped ball of clichéd roles and scenarios. Perhaps some of the concepts would seem novel to someone who had never seen an indie movie before but, all-in-all, the storylines were tired and unfulfilling.
The only ray of light in the film is Thomas Haden Church, Dr. Wetherhold's adopted brother, who comes to help out the family after the the Doctor's head injury early in the film. Church's role helped save some of the movie's potential by sparking great comedic chemistry with Page. But that was about the only chemistry on screen; Quaid and Parker's romance was flat and not believable even at its best.
More unfulfilling was the story's ending which was vague unsatifying. The end showed almost none of the stories plot lines resolved.
The problem with "Smart People" is that it was obviously an indie film trying to appeal to the masses when really it should have chosen one direction. On one hand, we have Page's 17-year-old character forming an awkward romantic attachment to her much older uncle - a classic indie scenario and then we have Quaid going from being a grouchy old college professor to an almost likable guy who wants to get to know his students - definitely mainstream. Perhaps if "Smart People" would have made up its mind audiences may have left feeling a bit smarter for splurging on a ticket instead of chalking up the purchase to a waste of money.
Contact Diane Dauplaise
at Diane.Dauplaise@UConn.edu.
The film tried so hard to not fit into any one genre that it ended up just a warped ball of clichéd roles and scenarios. Perhaps some of the concepts would seem novel to someone who had never seen an indie movie before but, all-in-all, the storylines were tired and unfulfilling.
The only ray of light in the film is Thomas Haden Church, Dr. Wetherhold's adopted brother, who comes to help out the family after the the Doctor's head injury early in the film. Church's role helped save some of the movie's potential by sparking great comedic chemistry with Page. But that was about the only chemistry on screen; Quaid and Parker's romance was flat and not believable even at its best.
More unfulfilling was the story's ending which was vague unsatifying. The end showed almost none of the stories plot lines resolved.
The problem with "Smart People" is that it was obviously an indie film trying to appeal to the masses when really it should have chosen one direction. On one hand, we have Page's 17-year-old character forming an awkward romantic attachment to her much older uncle - a classic indie scenario and then we have Quaid going from being a grouchy old college professor to an almost likable guy who wants to get to know his students - definitely mainstream. Perhaps if "Smart People" would have made up its mind audiences may have left feeling a bit smarter for splurging on a ticket instead of chalking up the purchase to a waste of money.
Contact Diane Dauplaise
at Diane.Dauplaise@UConn.edu.
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