Liberal Arts

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  • Opened September 14, 2012 (Limited)
  • 1 hr 37 min
  • PG-13 | Sexual content including references, mature thematic material, and some teen drinking

  • Parents: Common Sense Media says OK for kids 14+. More on child suitability

  • Newly single and uninspired by his job in college admissions, the introverted Jesse Fisher (Josh Radnor) lives with his head buried in a book. His deep nostalgia for his own alma mater in Ohio – the dining halls and dorm rooms, the parties and poetry seminars – makes him wonder if his best days are behind him. So when his favorite professor (Richard Jenkins) invites him back to campus to speak at his retirement dinner, Jesse jumps at the chance. Meeting Zibby (Elizabeth Olsen) – a precocious classical music-loving sophomore – awakens in Jesse long-dormant feelings of possibility and connection. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Josh Radnor, Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney, John Magaro
  • Director: Josh Radnor
  • Genres: Romance

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Fans say Go
400 fans
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Critics say So-So
55 out of 100
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Fan Reviews

Must Go!
Smart Romantic Comedy

by pedsarq

This movie was fun to watch! As an English major, I enjoyed all these book worms romancing each other with everything from Blake to vampire novels. It was expecially entertaining to see the romance...

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loved

by hoherring

So many lessons i took from this movie. It will stick with me!!!...

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Critic Reviews

91
Entertainment Weekly
| Owen Gleiberman

Olsen, moody and apple-cheeked and intellectually avid, proves a true star: She turns being wiser than her years into an authentic generational state. Read full review

88
Chicago Sun-Times
| Roger Ebert

There is a word to explain why this particular film so appealed to me. Reader, that word is "escapism." If you understand why I used the word "reader" in just that way, you are possibly an ideal viewer for this movie. Read full review

88
USA Today
| Claudia Puig

An artful blend of tenderness and sharp, clear-eyed observations. Its characters talk like real people -- who also happen to be smart, appealing and thoughtful. Read full review

75
Boston Globe
| Loren King

Radnor's script is more bittersweet than laugh-out-loud funny. Read full review

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Josh Radnor as Jesse and Elizabeth Olsen as Zibby in "Liberal Arts."