Smart People (2008)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Noam Murro

Writer (WGA):

Mark Poirier (written by)

Release Date:

11 April 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Sometimes the smartest people have the most to learn

Plot:

Into the life of a widowed professor comes a new love and an unexpected visit from his adopted brother.

Plot Keywords:

Professor | Date | Love | Seizure | Adopted Brother

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Dennis Quaid	...	Lawrence Wetherhold
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Janet Hartigan
Thomas Haden Church	...	Chuck Wetherhold
Ellen Page	...	Vanessa Wetherhold
Ashton Holmes	...	James Wetherhold
Christine Lahti	...	Nancy
Camille Mana	...	Missy Chin
David Denman	...	William
Don Wadsworth	...	Hadley
Robert Haley	...	Roth
Patrick Sebes	...	Curtis
Kevin James Doyle	...	Rodney
Paul Huber	...	Ben (as Paul J. Huber)
Iva Jean Saraceni	...	Volunteer
Richard John Walters	...	Parking Lot Attendant

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:M | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Ireland:15A | USA:R (certificate #43519) | South Korea:12 | Finland:K-11 | Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:PG | Taiwan:PG-12 | New Zealand:M | Mexico:B | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Allegheny General Hospital - 320 East North Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Grosvenor Park Productions

Trivia:

Rachel Weisz was originally cast opposite Dennis Quaid in this film, but she decided to leave the project. She was then replaced with Sarah Jessica Parker.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The license plate on the back of Lawrence's car is in fact not an accurate Pennsylvania license plate. The lettering used is not the correct style, nor the correct color.

Quotes:

Vanessa Wetherhold: Theresa Sternbridge practically runs a soup kitchen and she's always seen posing in photos with crack babies and dying, old, crusty ladies. And do you know why? She scored in the 45th percentile on her SAT. People like you and me don't need to compensate.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Ellen Page/Wilco (#33.6)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

If Only

More complex and interesting than JUNO but just as good

I saw this at Sundance. It was even better than expected, and I had my hopes up going into it. The story is smart, funny and more complex than Juno. Don't get me wrong; I loved Juno. I guess I am saying that Smart People is on a parallel level of quality with it despite being more complex in terms of the characters and their relationships. If you loved Juno, think of Smart People as your next stepping stone upward. While Ellen Page is one of the stars here, it is important not to overlook the fact that two of the bona fide actors with solid track records -- Dennis Quaid and Thomas Haden Church -- are really the main attractions here. If you look at Quaid's film history, you will see a wide array of projects, ranging from Breaking Away and The Right Stuff to Far From Heaven and Traffic. He's not afraid to take risks as an actor, and his long career shows that he is able to withstand the ebbs and flows of an industry that is very fickle. He's the reason you should see this film.