Smart PeopleSynopsis and Overview

Poster art for "Smart People."

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Showtimes + Tickets
  • Smart People
  • Opened April 11, 2008 | Runtime:1 hr. 35 min.
  • R
    language, brief teen drug and alcohol use, and for some sexuality
  • Information for parents: Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+. Read More
  • Acerbic, selfish and widowed literature professor Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) is estranged from his son and his overachieving teenage daughter. Just as he begins a relationship with a former student (Sarah Jessica Parker), Lawrence's Read More
  • Cast: Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page, Ashton Holmes
  • Director: Noam Murro
  • Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

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Smart People Recent Fan Reviews

  • Go

    "You Cant Read"

    "What is it like sitting alone at lunch everyday?"
    Smart People is a cranky movie with dialogue meant to go over your head. Excellent self-absorbed acting by the main cast with complementary roles from the remainder. Quaid, Page and Church were phenomenal! It is extremely sarcastic and too smart at times, but has a meaningful storyline. This film helps you realize to "stop being miserable and accept things the way they are".

  • Go

    barely a "go"

    by eyeful

    an interesting story
    another slice o'life of the in's and out's of an
    academic family that just hovers outside of
    dysfunctional
    not really a black comedy, not really a drama
    i went to see SJP, her character seemed underdeveloped
    and a bit bland
    ellen page managed to make a young republican, over-achiever
    funny, but the dialog was POOP compared with diablo cody's
    genius in juno.

    it's a renter!

  • So-so

    People?-- Yes; Smart? -- NO!

    Based on an advance preview: This film is being sold as a comedy-romance. I found exceptionally LITTLE to laugh at, and romantic only if you use its meaning of "IMPRACTICAL". It might better be described as, DYSFUNCTIONAL 'R US. On a technical level, all the main actors (Dennis Quaid as the father, Sarah Jessica Parker as a doctor, Thomas Haden Church as Quaid's brother, Ellen Page as Quaid's sarcastic & bitter daughter & Ashton Holmes as his often-ignored son) do a good job portraying their usually-strange characters. The problem is, so many of the characters are inherently OFF-putting (especially Quaid's arrogant, shuffling teacher). A friend agreed with me that it's hard to fathom WHY certain characters would be ATTRACTED to each other (i.e., Parker with Quaid and Page with Church). There are some interesting "commentaries" mixed in with the fluff, but it's all so subtle, you have to wonder if it's worth the effort. The film is not bad, but it's not very good. I'd give it 2.5*.

Smart People Critic Reviews

So-so Avg. Critic Score out of 100 Metascore ® based on all critic ratings.

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...

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    Poirier is a master at dialogue. His script crackles with sharp lines and he...

  • 70
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    A good deal of the freshness comes from a grand, clownish slob played by Thomas...

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

    The great virtue of Smart People, attributable to Noam Murro's easygoing...

Smart People Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

So-so 1,746 fan reviews

Critics say

So-so See all critic reviews

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