A flick with an all-star cast
If there is only one thing that can be said definitively about “Smart People,” it’s that it has an all-star cast.
Dennis Quaid stars as Lawrence, a widower, and a depressed and pretentious Carnegie Mellon University professor. His daughter Vanessa, played by Ellen Page, is as ostentatious as her father but in a younger, female form. The duo works together to isolate themselves from anyone as who does not live up to their standards of intellect – and that’s everyone.
Lawrence’s adopted brother and anti-thesis, Chuck, played by Thomas Haden Church, appears at the university in need of money on the very day Lawrence suffers a seizure and has his license suspended for six months. In need of a chauffeur, Lawrence grudgingly allows Chuck to live in his home and drive him around.
While in the emergency room, Lawrence meets his doctor and former student Janet played by Sarah Jessica Parker. For the first time since his wife’s death, he becomes interested in dating someone. However, Lawrence’s pompous tendencies continuously drive Janet away.
The only major flaw in the film’s storyline comes from Janet’s seemingly endless patience with Lawrence and his arrogant behavior. It was hard to believe that in real life circumstances, an accomplished woman like Janet would put up with a man as self-absorbed as Lawrence again and again.
“Smart People” offers a surprisingly honest portrayal of all its characters. The story line is a bit slow, but each actor did a phenomenal job depicting everyday people in unfortunate circumstances. Ellen Page was particularly impressive. She managed to make herself extremely unlikable while still gaining sympathy from the audience.
There is comedy in “Smart People” but it is all cleverly hidden in the characters’ wit and banter with each other. What does come through easily, however, is that there is hope, even for the unlikeable, to overcome whatever has made them that way. In the end, “Smart People” is honest but uplifting, and oftentimes that is a hard mixture to pull off.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Emma Dessau at Emma.Dessau@colorado.edu.
