Smart PeopleMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Smart People."

Gifts + Promos

The Vow Free Gift

Buy tickets & receive a FREE 3-Month Love Forecast from Astrology.com!

Fandango Bucks

Send your sweetheart the gift of movies this Valentine’s Day!

Journey Sweeps

Enter for a chance to win a trip for 2 to Nicaragua!

Interactive Oscar Ballot

Who's taking home the Oscar? Cast your vote & challenge your friends on Facebook!

Need Help?
So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 57 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Smart People, unlike "Sideways" or "The Savages," has a plot that's a little too rote. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    Poirier is a master at dialogue. His script crackles with sharp lines and he gives all his scenes a splendid comic undertow. Read full review

  • 70
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    A good deal of the freshness comes from a grand, clownish slob played by Thomas Haden Church -- he's actually the smartest person of the piece -- while Dennis Quaid occupies the center with a mastery that's all the more notable for its humanity. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    The great virtue of Smart People, attributable to Noam Murro's easygoing direction as well as to Mr. Poirier's wandering screenplay, lies in its general preference for small insights over grand revelations. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Carina Chocano

    It's the kind of observational comedy, that'll be hard to find come summertime and should be enjoyed while there's still a chance. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Though it features witty dialogue and good performances, the plot contrivances keep it from being an altogether winning enterprise. Read full review

  • 60
    Variety | Dennis Harvey

    Dysfunctional family seriocomedy is well cast, but characters and conflicts lack the sharper definition of similar recent exercises like "Little Miss Sunshine," "The Upside of Anger" and Noah Baumbach's films. Read full review

  • 50
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    Mostly, Smart People is a failure of imagination. Read full review

  • 50
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    It's impossible to tell whether the film's ending is happy because it's happy or because it's ending. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    The movie gets bogged down in the formula conventions of romantic comedy, and in the process, it loses all honesty. Read full review

View more reviews for Smart People on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Intelligent, mature film with some shortcomings.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this film -- which co-stars Ellen Page, who'll no doubt attract a fair share of young Juno fans -- is more dramatic than comic, tackling heavy themes like grief and parental indifference. There's also an iffy sexual interaction -- and it's clearly played out as such -- and a surprise pregnancy (though unlike Juno, it's not the central plot line). Both grown-ups and teens discuss sexual matters candidly, and there's some swearing (including "f--k"), a fair amount of drinking (an adult buys drinks for a minor), and teen drug use (again, instigated by an adult).
  • Families can talk about the characters' complicated relationships. Do they seem realistic? Why can't Lawrence connect with anyone? What drives him to change? Is the change believable? Are he and Janet a good couple? What about Vanessa? Why does she take on all that she does? Families can also discuss how this movie is similar to and different from other Hollywood films.
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: A father practically neglects his children and relegates adult responsibilities to his teen daughter, who's eager to please but is desperately lonely and disconnected from him and on the verge of becoming a bitter person. A couple finds it difficult to connect, and the woman lies to finesse an awkward situation. An uncle, in an attempt to help a young relative, introduces her to drugs and alcohol.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Nothing more than yelling and arguing.
  • sex false3 Sex: Frank discussion about how condoms feel after a couple has sex (they're shown in bed, presumably naked, though they're under a blanket). Some kissing and groping (in bars and during dates), and some lascivious comments. A man's naked backside is flashed a few times, presumably for comic effect.
  • language false3 Language: Runs the gamut from low-level insults like "moron" to curse words like "s--t" and "f--k."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Carnegie Mellon is practically a character in the film; a Wellesley College sweatshirt is a high-visibility prop; close-up shot of Marlboro Lights. Signage for the Omni Hotel, Saab, etc. Mention of Penguin Books.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some drinking and drug use (mostly marijuana) by grown-ups, teens, and young adults. Lots of drinking at restaurants and pubs (social situations) and alone (times of despair and oblivion). A character smokes cigarettes.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

3.0

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

… awful people you have listen to for two hours. Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

Read more movie reviews at Movies.com

Smart People Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

So-so 1,746 fan reviews

Critics say

So-so See all critic reviews

Smart People Featured Trailers + Video Clips

Facebook Movie Fans

Fan Fandango on Facebook