A misantropic comedy about a self-absorbed university professor (Dennis Quaid), his emotionally-handicapped daughter (Ellen Page), his pathetic brother (Thomas Haden Church), and his new girlfriend (Sarah Jessica Parker), who looks positively insane for wanting to join such a thoroughly fucked-up family. Set in a small college town in Pennsylvania, the film tries hard to be a smart, sardonic comedy, but falls flat on its face. The only ironic thing in the film is the title - those aren't smart people at all, merely erudite fools.
January 1, 2008
Smart People (2008) *
A misantropic comedy about a self-absorbed university professor (Dennis Quaid), his emotionally-handicapped daughter (Ellen Page), his pathetic brother (Thomas Haden Church), and his new girlfriend (Sarah Jessica Parker), who looks positively insane for wanting to join such a thoroughly fucked-up family. Set in a small college town in Pennsylvania, the film tries hard to be a smart, sardonic comedy, but falls flat on its face. The only ironic thing in the film is the title - those aren't smart people at all, merely erudite fools.
