Photo by: Miramax Pictures
Just when it seems like dark comedies about dysfunctional families are played out, along comes “Smart People,” director Noam Murro’s first foray into feature-length films.
The film tells the story of the self-absorbed college professor Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) who struggles to resurrect his pitiful relationships with those closest to him in order to add meaning to his life. A disconsolate widower, Wetherhold proved to be not only a lousy father figure but an altogether miserable human being. As a result, his daughter Vanessa (Ellen Page) is a friendless overachiever constantly vying for her father’s approval while his son James (Ashton Holmes) attempts to be an average college kid. The arrival of Lawrence’s deadbeat adopted brother Chuck (Thomas Haden Church) and a blossoming romance between Lawrence and a former student named Janet (Sarah Jessica Parker) wreaks havoc on the already bleak familial dynamic.
If the plot sounds a bit contrived and lacking, that is because it is. Although the noble aspirations behind the film shine through in a few select scenes, the inconsistency is rather disappointing. However, the meticulously sharp script by novelist Mark Jude Poirier is the thread that ties the film into the neat, witty package that it is.
What the movie lacks in plot, cast members compensate for with their excellent acting. Quaid stands out as the painfully abrasive, rude, pompous louse that is Lawrence’s character. From the previews, I was hesitant as to whether or not he could carry such a role after his string of second-rate films over the past few years, but I was pleasantly surprised at his delivery.
However, the real showstopper was Academy Award-nominee, Thomas Haden Church, as the down-and-out adopted brother. Church embodied the character perfectly as he traipsed through the film adding much needed comic relief and dispersing misguided stoner wisdom while outshining the rest of the cast. As for America’s current sharp-tongued sweetheart Ellen Page, her character’s likeness to her role in “Juno” proved difficult to swallow. It almost seemed as though she was trapped in a never-ending cameo appearance in this film. The same could be said for another favorite, Sarah Jessica Parker, who will probably never be able to break out of her Carrie Bradshaw shell. While there were brief glimpses of thespian promise for these two, they ultimately went by the wayside. As for Ashton Holmes, his primary function seemed to be that of an attractive intermediary between the other characters, a role someone of his handsomeness easily pulled-off.
“Smart People” finds itself trapped in that barren wasteland of films that are not quite spectacular but not altogether mediocre either. Instead, it flounders in the space between awful and awesome. A few more poignant moments and a better selection of leading ladies might have taken this film to the next level. Perhaps Murro’s next attempt at a feature film will be more fruitful.
Bottom line, “Smart People” is an average story with exceptional acting that is a bit frustrating but somehow strangely satisfying at the same time.
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 Boones
