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by Kevin McCarthy This movie is filled with depression and acoustic guitars. I don't mind a movie like this every once in a while. You just have a bunch of characters leading very boring and depressing lives and the story really doesn't go anywhere. See, there was a movie a few years back called The Squid and the Whale that reminded me a lot of this film, except for that film was actually very intriguing and entertaining. Smart People was just dull and boring and not really written by SMART PEOPLE. Pardon my horrifically bad attempt at making a joke. It had a little bit of promise though, considering it has an amazing cast, but for some reason the movie really did not pull me in. It was basically like listening to an EMO song for an hour and a half. Let me say this. That movie honestly felt like it lasted A LOT LONGER than an hour and a half. When I got out and saw that my clock said 9:00 instead of 9:30pm, I was very surprised. It honestly felt so much longer. That is usually a bad indicator that a film is not too good. Smart People stars Ellen Page (Hard Candy, Juno), Dennis Quaid (In Good Company), Sarah Jessica Parker ("Sex and the City") and Thomas Hayden Church (Sideways, Spider-Man 3). Like I said above, all you are seeing in this film is a look into four characters lives. NOTHING REALLY HAPPENS!! Well, obviously SOMETHING happens, but it is like the movie is a slow moving ant. It just trucks along VERY SLOWLY, making very minimal progress. The movie opens and we meet Professor Weatherford (Quaid). He teaches at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg, PA. You can immediately tell he is a depressed guy and doesn't like his life one bit. He is extra hard on his students and doesn't really have time for anyone. We learn that his wife passed away a few years back and that is obviously what is killing him daily. He is also struggling to get a book published and is constantly getting denied by publishing companies. One night, he goes to visit his son at the college and his car gets toed. Turns out that his briefcase was in his car so he climbs the fence to break into the impound lot and ends up falling and causing himself to have a seizure. This puts him in the hospital where he is taken care of by Dr. Hartigan (Parker). He doesn't remember that she was a former student of his and that she used to have a huge crush on him. When he gets home, he comes to find out that his money grubbing adopted brother, Chuck (Hayden Church), has asked to stay at his house because he can't afford to live on his own. Weatherford's daughter, Vanessa (Page), agrees to let him stay. She is a senior in high school and trying to graduate and go away to school. The rest of the film is Professor Weatherford trying to date Dr. Hartigan. The other part of the story deals with Vanessa and Chuck's very awkward relationship. Considering that he is her Uncle, she starts getting a little seductive towards him and it weirds him out, obviously. He is a stoner and wants to have a good time, but he is not trying to be involved in any incest. Now, you might be reading this plot summary wondering what the hell this movie is about. Honestly, that is it. It is that dull! Overall, minus some pretty good acting performances, the movie will bore you the majority of the time. There are moments where you will laugh, mainly because the characters are so awkward. Other than those moments though, there really is nothing intriguing about the film. It had a very strong cast, but the writing just didn't help carry the film well. I honestly became tired of looking at Sarah Jessica Parker's face. A fellow critic looked over and me and said "She looks like hell!" Honestly, I have always thought of her as a 50/50 girl. She looks hot about 50% of the time, but she honestly looked heinous this entire film. I just got sick of seeing her face on screen. Hayden Church's character kept saying she was a hot DR. NO SHE WASN'T! Page was basically playing herself in this film. It just felt like she was JUNO all over again, but this time a little more big-headed. I wonder if she will ever be able to rid herself of that character. When anyone sees her now, I think the first thing that will come to their minds will be JUNO. The movie honestly just seemed pointless and really has nothing new to bring to the depression genre of films. If I had heard one more acoustic guitar song, I was going to shoot myself. I give the film a 2 BDKs because it should only be seen on cable. Don't waste your money in theatres or renting this film. Rating: 2 out of 5 Source: www.wjfk.com |
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Last Update: 09/02/2010
© 2006-2010 Dominik Keppner
© 2006-2010 Dominik Keppner
