2008 Woodie Awards
'Smart People,' good flick
Alex Plimack
Arts | 4/9/08
"Smart People" tries to do for the intellects what "Little Miss Sunshine" did for the losers. It's an ode to the clueless personal interactions of some of the brightest that doesn't exactly match the charm of "Sunshine," but it still soundly stands on its own as a decent dramedy.
First time scribe Mark Poirier has crafted a script that pops, with the crackling dialogue springing from the actor's mouths. Dennis Quaid is Lawrence Wetherhold, a tenured English professor at Carnegie Melon. His daughter Vanessa (Ellen Page, doing a Juno-lite performance) is a high school junior studying her tacky wool sweaters off to get the perfect score on the SAT. His slacker, smartass brother Chuck (Thomas Hayden Church) shows up looking for a place to crash. And after falling and getting concussed, Lawrence finds himself under the care of former student Janet Hartigan (Sarah Jessica Parker).
Quaid is a delight as the moping academic who's obviously maladjusted following his wife's death. He fails miserably at starting a relationship with Janet and keeping one with Vanessa. But he's endearing, and the character evokes a certain level of sympathy.
But Quaid is so overshadowed by Church that his lead performance falls by the wayside for a secondary character. Church (with a ridiculous 'stache) brings the levity of the story, which doesn't just work within the movie but also the characters lives. His banter with Page (especially following their awkward kiss) proves to be the main message of the film: Being smart is good an all, but you also have to fun. Sure, the film doesn't provide the belly laughs it might be trying for, but the subtle humor plays nicely with the dramatic pieces.
So while the characters of "Smart People" don't necessarily shine like the script does, the throwback to dramas of day's past (including the subtle "Graduate"-esque acoustic guitar soundtrack) is most welcomed.
And it doesn't take a genius to know that a movie that serves as a reminder of the best ain't all that bad.
First time scribe Mark Poirier has crafted a script that pops, with the crackling dialogue springing from the actor's mouths. Dennis Quaid is Lawrence Wetherhold, a tenured English professor at Carnegie Melon. His daughter Vanessa (Ellen Page, doing a Juno-lite performance) is a high school junior studying her tacky wool sweaters off to get the perfect score on the SAT. His slacker, smartass brother Chuck (Thomas Hayden Church) shows up looking for a place to crash. And after falling and getting concussed, Lawrence finds himself under the care of former student Janet Hartigan (Sarah Jessica Parker).
Quaid is a delight as the moping academic who's obviously maladjusted following his wife's death. He fails miserably at starting a relationship with Janet and keeping one with Vanessa. But he's endearing, and the character evokes a certain level of sympathy.
But Quaid is so overshadowed by Church that his lead performance falls by the wayside for a secondary character. Church (with a ridiculous 'stache) brings the levity of the story, which doesn't just work within the movie but also the characters lives. His banter with Page (especially following their awkward kiss) proves to be the main message of the film: Being smart is good an all, but you also have to fun. Sure, the film doesn't provide the belly laughs it might be trying for, but the subtle humor plays nicely with the dramatic pieces.
So while the characters of "Smart People" don't necessarily shine like the script does, the throwback to dramas of day's past (including the subtle "Graduate"-esque acoustic guitar soundtrack) is most welcomed.
And it doesn't take a genius to know that a movie that serves as a reminder of the best ain't all that bad.
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