I wasn't sure what to expect when I sat down to watch Smart People. Based on the trailers I was hoping for a smartly written tale of characters who are intelligent, but still have a lot to learn. That sounds good, but it's not entirely accurate, I think I was more interested in seeing Ellen Page in her first outing since her Oscar-nominated turn in Juno.
Considering my hopes for the film, I am sad to report that I am quite disappointed. It is an indie character study that never really takes off, seemingly more content to move in fits and spurts. I am reminded of Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale); however this is more an example of mimicry than inspiration.
Dennis Quaid stars as Lawrence Wetherhold, an English professor at Carnegie Mellon University. The character is seriously flawed in that he is definitely book smart, but is also self-centered, elitist, and not terribly good at interacting with others (his self-centered pomposity keeps getting in the way). He is a widower who shares his home with his over-achieving, Alex P. Keaton by way of Juno MacGuff daughter, Vanessa (Ellen Page). His son, James (Ashton Holmes), is attending Carnegie Mellon and stops in occasionally. Then there is Lawrence's adopted brother, Chuck (Thomas Haden Church), a guy who makes a living on a variety of scams and always shows up when he is low on cash, and this is one of those times.
With Lawrence as the central character, we need to have that triggering event that brings them together and sets Lawrence on his quest towards being a more lovable, nice character. That event takes place when our despicable curmudgeon, hopping a fence to retrieve his briefcase from his impounded car, falls on his head and suffers a seizure. This means that he will not be able to drive, legally, for six months. It's a good thing that Chuck is around to become his chauffeur! Anyway, since he cannot drive, he is forced to spend more time with those whom he would rather not or takes for granted.
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