Smart PeopleMovie Reviews

Gifts + Promos

• So-so Based on 1,746 reviews
  Breakdown:

• Sort by: Helpfulness
• Review Date

• Go
  Written May 28, 2008

  "You Cant Read"

  by Daydream

  "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".

  • 78 out of 123 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Go
  Written April 15, 2008

  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!
  
  

  • 35 out of 51 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• So-so
  Written April 11, 2008

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

  by jimchudnow

  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*.

  • 25 out of 40 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Go
  Written April 25, 2008

  Smart People = Smart Movie

  by Audrey Gossett

  I was pleasantly surprised with my experience in watching the movie Smart People. I say this because I looked up reviews and they were 50/50 - split. You either loved it or hated it. I was on the 50 side of loving it. It was not a ground-breaking movie by any means, but it was also not a waste of my time or money either. The humor is dry and it is full of witty lines and quips. I especially enjoyed it becuase it gave a picture of real life without the fluff. Real people, warts and all. A look into a family that doesn't have it all together. And not just with each other as a family unit, but with themselves as a person. But their imperfections in a sense bring them together and this disfunctional group somehow functions. Nice movie, nice soundtrack, nice cast. So my 50 lies on the positive side. I recommend it.

  • 12 out of 17 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Oh No!
  Written April 19, 2008

  disappointed

  by powerhouse19982004

  I really expected a great movie but was very disappointed. When you find yourself (or your spouse) looking at your watch 40 minutes into the movie, you know you have just wasted good money. The movie was dry, slow, boring and depressing. Not how I want to forget about my day for just a little while and relax.

  • 13 out of 20 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• So-so
  Written April 12, 2008

  Only for a select audience

  by FadeToBlack88

  This film falls in line with Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, and Charlie Bartlett. To those people who expect Hollywood glamor out of every film, this isn't for you. If you want something different and realistic without the dazzle and showiness definitely go see it.
  
  It centers around a professor of literature and his family. The adopted brother that comes into his life only when he needs money. The genius 17 year old daughter that's unhappy with her life. The ignored collegiate son. The conflict is the doctor the professor meets while he's in the hospital after a nasty fall. There are funny pieces of dialogue that came frequently. I enjoyed it.
  
  I had a hard time assigning a "so-so" or a "go" but decided since it's for a select audience that a "so-so" would do. Overall rating: 6.5

  • 12 out of 18 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Must Go!
  Written April 17, 2008

  Smar People

  by kelemaninc

  Excellent, acting was wonderful and real. No phoney happy endfings here. Just real life...doing the best you can and making things work.

  • 15 out of 24 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Must Go!
  Written April 28, 2008

  Loved it.

  by Beebo

  thoughtful and introspective account of a family struggling with intimacy. I would go see it again. Very intellectual and thought provoking.

  • 8 out of 12 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• So-so
  Written April 17, 2008

  Smart People

  by hanreitz

  The previews for "Smart People" were funny, but in a con****uous way that suggested they might contain all the humor in the movie. It DID make me laugh, but only when the cast was not busy feeling horrid about itself. I normally hate Sarah Jessica Parker; however, I found myself rooting for her character. Dennis Quaid's facial expressions throughout were strangely reminiscent of Jack Nicholson in "The Shining," but his initially arrogant character was interesting and developed through a history of rejection and grief. The siblings made no sense and did not seem to have grown up in the same house. Their scripted lines and constant angst were irritating, and only relieved by Thomas Hayden Church's humorous, but banal, insertions. Camille Mana was great in her part, though. Overall, I feel that "Smart People" had a good cast wasted on a tired story, but it was interesting to hate the main characters while understanding them. In conclusion, I'm conflicted about having spent $10 on this.

  • 9 out of 14 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• So-so
  Written May 6, 2008

  Smart Movie?

  by nvrcmgbk

  I liked the actors, and liked the premise but felt the movie just fell short of expectations. I though it could have been done better.

  • 15 out of 26 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• So-so
  Written May 5, 2008

  The Reviews Are Right

  by TMapou

  I knew the movie was getting mediocre reviews--both from critics and audiences--before I saw it, but I could not help but expect more from a movie with such a good cast, and which looked very good judging by the trailer. That being said, the reviews were right. I would not say it was a bad movie, but it was nothing more than "eh." It was not particularly funny, and the dramatic moments were pretty slow. Dennis Quaid's character seemed to undergo something of a transformation, but there was no real explanation for it--it seemed like he just flipped a switch one day. On the other hand, Ellen Page's character did not really develop at all (except, perhaps, at the very end, but the suggestion of a transformation in still photos during the end credits does nothing for the movie, in my opinion). Overall, it was just slow, and somewhat boring. It did have its moments, though, which is why it was mediocre, rather than bad.
  
  Wait to rent the DVD.

  • 9 out of 15 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• So-so
  Written May 2, 2008

  smart peopkle

  by sarahsteele1223

  not humorous
  full plot, easy to follow, well resolved
  involved adult learning from his kids

  • 9 out of 15 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• So-so
  Written April 28, 2008

  Odd movie

  by Oscar the Grouch

  This movie had an odd sense of humor. I kind of liked it. . . but the movie did not leave much of an impression on me. I'm not so sure that I would call the characters in the movie smart. . .

  • 14 out of 25 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• So-so
  Written April 14, 2008

  smart people

  by debpop

  I thought it was nice. I'd give it a B. Thomas Haden Church and Ellen Page were great. I was expecting more from it.. But it was a nice little film. When we got home we watched No Country for Old Men and that was GREAT!

  • 5 out of 7 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No
• Go
  Written May 1, 2008

  A quiet, rather elliptical movie...

  by DMH_826

  As many reviewers in the mainstream press have commented, this movie is the anti-action, anti-blockbuster offering of the season. It verges on becoming too self-consciously "righteous" in that sense, but is redeemed by it's detailed look at moments in the characters' lives. This is not a grand, sweeping story with a clean, cathartic ending -- it is a small segment of a portion of a life. I enjoyed it's quiet charms.
  
  Dennis Quaid's performance as a rather depressed man, in mourning for a much-loved wife is very touching, as is Sarah Jessica Parker's portrayal of the doctor who has a relationship with him. Ellen Page, Ashton Holmes and Thomas Haden Church are all quite fine in their roles, too.

  • 9 out of 15 found this review helpful.
  • Was this helpful to you? 
  • Yes
  • No

• Page: 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• More Reviews