Smart People

First I have to give it up to casting for this film. They cast four actors in the lead roles that do great character work, Dennis Quaid, Ellen Page, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Thomas Hayden Church. On top of that, the writing of the characters was well-done as they created characters that you wouldn't think were sympathetic at all, a pompous professor, a narrow-minded high school student, a down-on-his luck unemployed brother, and a vindictive doctor. Yet, throughout the film, we root for them.

I also like the way the story is called Smart People, yet these so-called smart people do a lot of learning in the film. Interestingly enough, the one that does the most learning is the college professor, as he learns how to move on in life and how to open up. The one that really has it together more than anyone else is the unemployed brother. While he came to live with the family out of necessity, needing somewhere to go, and because his brother needed a driver temporarily, his presence added more to the family dynamic than any of them would have thought possible.

I enjoyed this movie a lot. It's an interesting character study with some good dialogue and funny and poignant moments. Dennis Quaid plays against type as a pompous ass professor at Carnegie Mellon. He even has a gut and a duck walk. But he's a widower, so that's excusable for everything in the writer's mind, I guess.

Sarah Jessica Parker plays his love interest. I agree with others that her interest in him is sort of inexplicable, especially given that she has a man-eater rep. I like that they didnt' go full-force with the soft lighting for SJP like they did in Sex and the City; she looks her age (though I think she's supposed to be 28 in the film, haha!) and you can see her smoker's wrinkles around her upper lip clear as day.

Thomas Hayden Church is amusing as the ne-er do well brother who nonetheless has way more people skills than anyone in the family. They keep calling him the "adopted brother."

Ellen Page plays the daughter of Quaid. For some reason, they had to make her a Republican, even though most college profs are liberal. (I assume Quaid's character had her same views because he was so darn proud of her.) It would have been more interesting and braver to skewer a liberal elitist professor.

The son was an afterthought, and they didn't follow through on any storyline for him even though he had serious father issues and credit card debt.

SPOILER:
They threw in a "how dumb are they?" moment when SJP gets pregnant because Quaid misused a condom. Um, she's a doctor, shouldn't she have said something since she HAD noticed (she mentioned it later)? And why isn't a man-eating sleeparound woman using birth control pills and only relying on a condom? And why does she happen to have a pregnancy test on her trip to NYC? This part feels too contrived.

This movie was not exactly what I expected. All the characters thorougly annoyed me, except for Ellen Page. And even her character bugged me half the movie.

It's about an absolutely pathetic Dennis Quaid. He looks disgusting and unhealthy, and he is an unpleasant, unkind excuse for a professor and a father. Sarah Jessica Parker is nice and mild at first, but when I found out she had a thing for Quaid, I was upset. Why would she like him?! It just confused me.

They spend the entire movie quoting Victorian literature and using SAT vocabulary. I think they just tried a bit too hard to make this about, well, smart people.

This was a great movie. It was funny, interesting and witty from start to finish. Dennis Quaid is excellent, as the hapless, pompous professor and Thomas Haden Church is great as his semi-homeless, irresponsible, but good hearted brother. I thought this movie would be slow in parts, but it was interesting the whole way through and hilarious in some parts. Ellen Page is fantastic as the cynical, way too smart daughter and Sarah Jessica Parker is great at putting Quaid in his place. I think there is something for everyone in this movie. It gives a whole new light on the family dynamic and how one person can change everything. Watch the pictures that come up during the credits. It's a little of a surprise ending you won't want to miss!

I just watched this film today and it is quite the quirky funny movie. Its a story about a college professor and his family and how they are living their lives years after the passing of the mom. Dennis Quaid plays the self absorbed college professor that treats everyone like complete crap. He starts dating a former student and is then opened up to how hes been such a bastard to everyone. Thomas Hayden Church plays the adopted brother and is very funny in a few scenes where he just steals the spotlight in the film. This is by no means a gutbusting side splitting comedy but it is a nice story about a family moving on in their lives after a loss of a member.