Smart People

There is only one thing more interesting than stupid people, and that's Smart People.

Smart People is a delightful film that's funny, heart warming and lovely. It will most likely not receive a grand swarm of audiences around the country this weekend, and however sad that might be, at least the small percentage of viewers that do decide to see it will be in for a real treat. The film does have some weak points, but overall the entire experience is quite enjoyable.

In short, Smart People follows the life of a widowed, pretentious college professor that has little desire to mingle with his students, or attempt to understand his children. It takes an ER doctor and his adoptive brother, who's free from the intelligent gene of the family, to bring some change to the entire family. The rest of the film follows along this line and it generally suffers from predictability. However, in spite of the weak script, the actors manage to turn the film around and combat the clichés with excellent character growth.

Dennis Quaid does a magnificent job assuming the role of Lawrence Wetherhold, the college professor. In fact, I believe this work to be one of his greatest roles. It throws him outside of his typical acting area and he does a magnificent job, but he's not the only one to stand out.

Ellen Page, the intelligent daughter, and Thomas Hayden Church, the whimsical and adoptive brother, give equally strong roles that provide even more depth to the shallow script. Church's character shines through as the funniest part of the film, and it's probably because he's given a majority of the best lines. Fans of Church will be delighted with his part in this story, and they should not miss it.

Besides the weak script and a rather abrupt ending, this is an overall decent film. If you can just look past the script and focus on the characters you'll be sure to find Smart People very enjoyable.