Smart People

source: Smart People

Sorry, but Smart People isn't. The characters are not well developed, the resolution is incredibly pat. For some incredible, unknown reason, Dennis Quaid decided to try and channel Jack Nicholson for this film, which took me out of what story there was every time he was on screen. I'm not female. Would SOME female PLEASE explain ANYTHING about the motivation of Sarah Jessica Parker's character to do ANY of the things she did in this film? PLEASE?? Apparently the writer thought he was doing one of those 1970's Jack Nicholson/Bruce Dern "King of Marvin Gardens" kind of movies. He wasn't. It's a mess.

First off, Dennis Quaid was really good in this film, I think one of his better films, the problem is Sideways and Juno are movies that have already been made. What I mean is that in Sideways Thomas Hayden Church played an annoying slacker friend here he is the annoying slacker brother and he's better in Sideways. In Juno Ellen Page is the smart and quick tongued daughter and here she is, well the smart and quick tongued daughter and in Juno she is just better. In a world were Sideways and Juno did not exist maybe I would have been more impressed. With that said the character development was weak, a lot of the characters quirks and decisions were never explained, Sara Jessica Parker's character was the biggest victim of this, why does she feel they way she does about Quaid, who is she, why does she act the way she does in the films finally and why don't I really care. So maybe without certain other movies this film would stand out a little more, but then again maybe not.

The deadpan tone of this movie doesn't seem like it would work, but it does. The lead actors really draw you in, but Thomas Haden Church steals the show, in my opinion.

You can usually tell if you are going to like a show or movie in the first few minutes of it. I like Dennis Quaid and Sarah Jessica Parker but not in this. It is hard to like a movie where there is little chemistry with the actors. Pass this one up and watch something else.

Well it's cold. Music is nice, there's Autumn weather, and the music is good, and the lack of music is better. The faces are fascinating. Ellen Page (daughter) reminds me a touch of Jane Fonda - intelligent and both smart mouthed and capable of swearing with good effect. Everyone outside the family just appear so normal and so easy going - though nobody seems happy in this movie. It's a very depressing setting, but the movie isn't really depressing - it's nice. Comedy is quirky - it makes you smile, but it's damp and cool like the Autumn weather - Winter is coming. The professor is just so deeply fascinated by his subject. He reminds me of a seminar I went to last year, a professor trying to stick something on the board and needing help. These people are so smart, they can't see anything. Maybe the film isn't very good - but then I guess my taste isn't very good. I think most people don't have good taste and will really enjoy it in a quiet and quirky way.

I want to recommend "Smart People," which was an excellent character study about a family with complex and difficult dispositions. However, I am a grammarian and was surprised that Dennis Quaid's character, who possessed a doctorate in English, and his brilliant daughter both made simple grammatical mistakes. 1. The College professor said "NONE of you LIKE me." NONE is singular and he should have said "NONE of you LIKES me." 2. His daughter said "He leaves them LYING around." She should have said "He leaves them LAYING around." A human will be LYING around, but an object will be LAYING around. Maurice Barringer

There's a good reason why this film only did 9 million in box office ... there's just not much to recommend it. I thought Dennis Quaid was completely wasted in this movie. He's normally an energetic and charming presence on the screen, but he seems to be just going thru the motions in "Smart People". Nothing about this performance made me get into his character, and indeed I don't think there was much there to get into to begin with. Its one of those stories where there was no one I could identify with, and no one I could really even like all that much. Neither did I dislike them. They all left me completely disinterested, and that's probably the worst thing a movie can do. Still, if you watch this you won't hate it either. On cable, there are certainly more objectionable things that could be making noise while you concentrate on something else. LOL

Just because a person is intellectually does not mean he/she has the social skills to make it in the world--CAse in point Lawrence Wetherold. He is a highly intelligent English professor whose pompous attitude lead him to have no friends. He is also hung up on his dead wife Caroline to the point where after his daughter and brother donate his wife's clothes to Goodwill-he buys them back. When he meets an emergency room doctor he is smitten but doesn't know how to act and eventually loses her. This a wake up call for him as he transforms his attitude and starts to behave in a more humane way. Vanesssa, Lawrences daughter is an equally brainy type. However,she too is a social misfit as she is spending too much time getting good grades and taking care of her dad. She gets life experience lessons from Lawrences brother Chuck by getting high on pot and getting drunk at a bar. There is more but just watching this movie I got a good lesson in family dynamics and a few good laughs.

This was okay, not great though because all the characters are so unlikable and nothing much really happens to them. This is a character study concerning a bunch of (smart) yet damaged people bumbling their way through life and love. Dennis Quaid is good as the arrogant, self-absorbed professor who suffers a seizure and then takes a shot at romance with his emergency room physician and former student (Sarah Jessica Parker) -who for once is not playing her Sex & The City character. Ellen Page plays another damaged character as the professors daughter and when her uncle (Thomas Haden Church) shows up they form an interesting relationship that delivers most of the comedy here. I wouldn't label this movie a comedy though. 5/23/14