Jon Peters Review: “Smart People”

Oh, how aggravating it was to see what potential ‘Smart People’ had and only to witness the film just idle. The biggest misstep was letting the film end without having the characters actually change or evolve. They just temporarily halt their ways and will more than likely revert back to their old ways after the credits role. It’s a shame because the film could have been really good, instead it’s just okay.

Dennis Quaid plays Professor Lawrence Wetherhold, a tough teacher who is consumed by his knowledge in literature and the death of his wife years ago. He’s cranky, self-absorbed, and is blind to everything around him. He has created a distance between himself and his son, James (Ashton Holmes), and his daughter, Vanessa (Ellen Page), has become a mirror version of him. She’s cranky, uninvolved in such things as friends and fun and is more concerned with her Young Republicans group and studying. Their world is about to get a shake down when Lawrence’s adopted brother, Chuck (Thomas Hayden Church) comes to move in. If that wasn’t enough to disrupt their tightly organized existence, Lawrence suffers a head injury and when he meets Dr. Janet Hartigan (Sarah Jessica Parker), sparks fly.

The film garnered some buzz out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival and at times it’s easy to see why. Dennis Quaid is very good here, playing a cranky, quiet book worm, but its Ellen Page and Thomas Hayden Church that steal the show here. Their banter and witty dialogue have a pitch perfect timing that it’s infectious every time they are on screen. When they aren’t on screen, you miss them and when they are there, you don’t want them to go away. The reason why is that they have great chemistry and some producers should take note at pairing them again. Page is uptight and maybe even bitchy, which perfect accents Church’s laid back demeanor. While shot before Page’s Oscar-nominated role in ‘Juno’ that film but released after to help the film with her newly founded and well-deserved fame, ‘Smart People’ and ‘Hard Candy’ solidifies her (in case you didn’t know by now) as the hottest actress working. As long as she or her agent don’t derail her career with bad choices (she already bailed out on Sam Raimi’s newest horror film), she should be here for a good long time.

But here’s where the film stutters: the reason you want Page and Church back on screen is that Quaid and Parker don’t have any chemistry whatsoever. To tell the truth, it is not Quaid’s fault. He develops the character with little nuances and quirks, even though he’s at first cold-hearted and hard to warm up too until you get use to him, that when he gets gaga over Janet, Parker makes Janet so bland it doesn’t fit. I’ve never been a fan of Sarah Jessica Parker, but that doesn’t make me bias when I say she shouldn’t have been in this movie. She plays her character like if her ‘Sex in the City’ character only had five hours of sleep. In fact, outside of those flashy eyes, you start to question what Lawrence sees in her to continue to call her back. Or outside of her school girl crush of Lawrence, after that evaporates, why does she continue to answer his calls, when you know she sees the same cranky, self-absorbed man only interested in his book on the theory of criticism that we see. Thus begins the film other set back-character motivation.

Problems are presented and the third act should be the solution to those problems. Have you noticed I haven’t mentioned the son? He’s lost in the shuffle and could have been cut from the film and not missed. No resolution to his distance with his father, or the subplot of him sleeping with an English teacher that works on his dad’s department council, nor does he factor in the climax. Page’s Vanessa really doesn’t learn much, despite the attempt, and by the end’s conclusion, you know she temporarily stops to aid the climax. Of all the characters, only Quaid changes, but it’s more like he emerges from a shell than grows. So basically everything is hastily wrapped up in a bow.

While some smart people have more learning to do outside of those books, I would solely recommend the film for Page and Church; their scenes almost make the film work by themselves. Sadly, they are only the secondary characters. The film isn’t bad, in fact with the current options at the theatres (at least prior to the summer films); it’s not a bad choice to see, but just one with squandered potential.