Smart People

 
Do you ever look through the discounted DVD section at your local video rental/sales store hoping but not overly expecting to find any films that are actually worth two hours of your night? It almost feels more like an animal shelter, all those poor DVD’s staring up at you just wishing someone good Samaritan would purchase them and give them a home. Of course most of them are there for a reason and should probably just be taken out back and shot(if you had seen Crank you would understand). However when I saw Smart People and its cast of Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Hadden Church, and Ellen Page it seemed to be more of the indie sleeper than one that should be put to sleep so I gave it a chance.


Smart People, as can be inferred from the title is a film about what happens when people whom are in fact smart try to deal with family and other relationships in a less than intelligent manor. Perhaps sometimes intelligence can be blinding as is the case with Smart People. One example of this is when Dennis Quad’s daughter, played by Ellen Page (Juno) got accepted to Stanford but couldn’t confide in the same man that inspired her to pursue her studies at the cost of having a normal teenage livelihood. In addition Thomas Haden Church(where the hell has he been since Wings other than Sideways?) plays the “adopted brother” of Mr. Quaid, throwing some chaos into the mix even getting the overachieving Ellen Page drunk at one point in the film. The various personalities introduced in Smart People have a dynamic that makes for a highly entertaining and interesting story. The movie absolutely charmed me with its solid performances and writing making me glad I didn’t let this little film go by the wayside of DVD’s that no one wants.