Studio: Walt Disney Pictures Genre: Romantic •
Comedy •
Drama Street Date: August 12, 2008 Director: Noam Murro Number of Discs: 1 MPAA Rating: R Cast: • Dennis Quaid
• Sarah Jessica Parker
• Ellen Page
• Thomas Haden Church
• Ashton Holmes Running Time: 95 minutes Format: DVD Specs: Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Color (Anamorphic)
Audio: ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: Spanish, French Special Features: - Deleted Scenes
- The Smartest People: Interviews With Filmmakers And Cast
- Not So Smart: Bloopers/Outtakes
- Feature Commentary By Filmmaker Noam Murro And Writer Mark Jude Poirier Version: Standard Review: Dennis Quaid is one my favorite underrated actors in Hollywood; much like Kurt Russel he's been in a ton of great flicks and put out some great performances that go unsung for one reason or another. They are everyman actors who can play a beer guzzling moron or a tough guy out to save the world, and they can do either while tickling your funny bone.
Smart People is another great role for Dennis where he plays a person so self righteous and yet so utterly socially awkward even his pot head adopted screw up brother (Thomas Haden Church) can sit back and “dude what the fuck is wrong with you?” It’s a damn good role and I’m glad it falls to a guy like Dennis otherwise it would just come off as Oscar bait bullshit and nowhere near the honest performance he puts out there.
Of course most people are more closely eyeing Ellen Page in this one to see if she can maintain her Juno street cred. While both characters are pretty far flung from one another the patter of her always running mouth is quite similar. Imagine ff Alex P Keaton (Family Ties) were to have a daughter if so she’d be Vanessa with her sharp wit and ultra up tight views on life (scary. no?). Ellen continues to improve her skills in this one and makes you wonder what a Kitty Pride (X-men) movie would be like….ok maybe I’m the only one wondering that last part.
If I had any gripes at all it would be with Sarah Jessica Parker’s part in this. No offence to her but it’s hard to imagine her as a doctor, don’t get me wrong it’s not like Denise Richards trying to play a nuclear physicist or anything SJP can play a smart chick but I think I’ve seen her in too many fun gal roles to give into her in this roll.
Of the many dysfunctional family movies that come out each year most of them fall flat while they push too hard to be quirky and strange. Where they fail Smart People excels in keeping things grounded in some uncomfortable basic reality.
You don’t have to be a Smart Person to enjoy this movie….but it helps. Buy It Now: Rating:
