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Review: Beware of runaway brains
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Dennis Quaid and Sarah Jessica Parker don’t have enough to do in “Smart People.”
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - “Smart People” is the latest release from Indieville’s dysfunction tap, and this time the misfiring family is an academically inclined bunch impaired by grief and excessive gray matter.
The love story’s flat and the dramatic thrust is weak in this rocky seriocomedy, though the supporting characters prove dynamic and distinctive.
Basically, bright people do blockheaded things, says this movie, which presents this hardly revelatory notion via a romantic story and quirky demonstrations of familial sputter. The director is a newcomer, Noam Murro. The protagonists are a Mensa bunch who pen critical tomes and ace the SAT but are clueless to basic human factors.
Larry (Dennis Quaid), a disconnected Pittsburgh literary professor, has a dead wife he can’t let go of, a manuscript nobody will publish, and contempt for his students and anyone else he deems dumber than himself.
At home, his 17-year-old daughter, Vanessa (Ellen Page), displays similar issues. A friendless, hyper-achieving Young Republican, she shares her dad’s grief-related malaise and disdains unintelligent folk.
Larry gets a double shakeup when he falls for former student Janet (Sarah Jessica Parker) — the doctor who treats him after his obstinateness causes a stupid accident — and lets his mooching, layabout brother, Chuck (Thomas Haden Church), stay with the family.
Buttoned-up Vanessa bonds with life-embracing Chuck, who loosens up the teen by getting her stoned and drunk.
Among off-center fare featuring detached intellectual sorts, the film doesn’t meander as engrossingly as “Wonder Boys” or understand parent-child dynamics as keenly as “The Squid and the Whale.”
Murro, previously a director of commercials, delivers little in the way of sustained dramatic drive, and, along with novelist-turned-screenwriter Mark Poirier’s spotty character development, this hurts the love story.
Quaid and Parker are credible, but their characters receive such lukewarm, low-pilot treatment that the passion can’t resonate. Janet seems to exist solely to awaken Larry.
Still, there’s at least half a solid movie here, thanks to the general credibility of the story, the zingers in the screenplay, and anything involving Vanessa and Chuck. She’s 17 but acts middle-aged, he’s vice-versa, and, as played by the acerbic Page and the deadpan Church (never mind the comparisons to their “Juno” and “Sideways” incarnations), the pair click in funny, vital ways, lifting the movie over the middling mark.
The supporting cast also includes Ashton Holmes in the underdeveloped role of Larry’s college-student son, whose literary talent the self- absorbed Larry fails to recognize.
CREDITS
Smart People (2 and half stars)
Starring Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page
Written by Mark Poirier
Directed by Noam Murro
Rated R
Running time 1 hour 33 minutes
Comments from Examiner Readers
1:35 PM MST on Mon., Oct. 6, 2008 re: "Review: A thrilling ‘Dark Knight’"
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Linda Baker said:
I WAS IN TOTAL AWE OF HOW HE WAS ABLE TO GRAB EVERYONE'S ATTENTION WHEN HE IS ON THE SCREEN. Nobody should ever try to duplicate his act. I believe it was an Oscar winning performance.
1 agree | 0 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
the movie rawked;)
1 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
awesome movie you suck for sayin that i think you at wits end orlando is the hottest guy ever!!!
2 agree | 1 disagree
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Barbara said:
orlando bloom is the hotest actor in pirates of the caribbean
2 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Bizarre movie! What a waste of time and money!
12 agree | 13 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
the X-files should be filed under Y. the movie didn't make any sense or conformed to the t.v. series. it's about the unknown, the ufo thing. this was about sicky characters who like to cut up people and put them together like frankensteins.
12 agree | 12 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I liked the movie Mama Mia. I saw it with my daughter and thougt it was refreshing... so what that some didn't have thesinging voice but the laughter was always there. I recommend this movie to anyone who just wants to laugh and leave life for a short time. I am not one for musicals and was not happy that my daughter picked this but I was so glad she did!! FUN FUN FUN!!!!
13 agree | 15 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
"Why, after an hour of pratfalls, try to reinvent Hancock as a somber second coming of the Caped Crusader? I like the idea of a disgraced superhero struggling to rehabilitate his image." This specific comment leads me to believe that you missed the point, and that you would rather drop a clever phrase in your own creation, your critique, than do your job as a critic and evaluate fully what was given to you (instead of "what if?") By the way, "Caped Crusader" is a name most often attributed to Bruce Wayne's alter ego, not the "aww, gee" squeaky clean Superman (which I believe is what you inferred). The ending, which focused on the familiar comic themes, of self sacrifice and the powers of the ordinary were very satisfying for this comic fan. The questions left unanswered in the movie are what number one issues are made of. I have a complaint: more of the title's credit should have been given to Bateman and Theron in my opinion. Hancock, albeit misnamed, was a great introduction.
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Gone. So? said:
So many seemingly brilliant alcoholic/addicts whose works became extremely popular through the mass media during the latter half of the twentieth century have had such an endelible influence on American culture that by now you'd expect one of them to perhaps become President of the United States. Oh yeah, right, one already has.
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MrHyphy said:
Hancock is a good movie end of story.
18 agree | 20 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
just came back from seeing a movie that i thought would be great but it WAS SOME GARBAGE DON'T WAIST UR TIME OR MONEY VIA MOVIE THEATRE OR DVD
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Examiner Reader said:
M. Knight is the modern day equivalent to Alfred Hithcock. I completely disagree with this review and her review of his last two movies. The Village was one his best movies, and The Lady in the Water was also a great movie. Some people just don't have minds capable of seeing outside the box and wondering what if. Case in point, Sally Kline.
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Examiner Reader said:
The movie kicked ass!
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Examiner Reader said:
You, sir, are an idiot of the highest order.
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Examiner Reader said:
This was a great movie with a great story line. But hey what would you expect from a critic.
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Examiner Reader said:
Dear Ms. Katz, You are quite the bitch for revealing that "Big stands Carrie up at the = alter"! Gwen Evans
25 agree | 25 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
wow the review of the new Indiana Jones movie really over rates it--unlike the others it is ALL style and no substance. the movie has a return of karen allen but then does nothing with her; and what is this===Happy Days meets the X Files? it maybe but isnt an Indiana Jones movie.
27 agree | 24 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Cont...With regards to Battle for Haditha (see below): This 'rampage' point of view has been disproven. (3) There is evidence that these Marines were used as scapegoats to appease a liberal media and Anti-War sentiments in the Senate and govt like Murtha. There is evidence of undue command influence in the hubris investigation that ensued. The investigation was unprecedented. These Marines were asked to make split moment decisions under duress that most of us would be hard pressed to do differently under similar circumstances. Interesting fact from the think tank AEI: A poll of tribal leaders across Iraq was recently conducted about US elections and who they would vote for, McCain, Obama, or Clinton. A majority would vote for John McCain but in Al Anbar where Haditha occurred, the tribal leaders want to re-elect George Bush. The Iraqi leaders greatly fear us leaving b/c that would ensure the return of the henchmen who murdered and terrorized the locals. They want peace and stabilit
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Examiner Reader said:
With regards to Battle for Haditha: To imply this movie is an accurate representation of the Haditha incident is misguided and disingenuous. This movie is far from an accurate representation of what occurred but conjecture based on misinformation. The truth of what occurred and mistakes made are coming out now. So how did the director possibly know what really happened when he made this movie? These are what we do know now: (1) The incident was a set up from insurgents who were looking to create an Iraq massacre for political gain and as part of their information operations. Al Qaeda filmed the carnage and the American and world media appeased them. (2) There is evidence from drones that there were insurgents fleeing from the buildings the Marines cleared. The Marines who cleared the buildings were not targeting civilians and were following orders. Their intentions were to ensure their own safety and not from a desire to take revenge or go on some kind of rampage. This 'rampage' poin
24 agree | 22 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I have heard a lot of trash about this movie, but I have to disagree. I loved it. The part most people miss is that it stays true to the cartoon that inspired it. Sure, it is hokie, far-fetched and dated, but that's just the way the cartoon was! Besides, this show has a lot of action and happy ending. Who wouldn't like that?
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Examiner Reader said:
Pretty spot-on review, but critics (even Asian Ameircan critics, who are falling over themselves to celebrate the fact that Asians are starring in a mainstream hit movie without being, well, you know, ASIAN) including Examiner's are missing he huge red flag od sexism that permrates both ,ovies but this one even more so. Yeah, so that's part and parcel of the juvenile, hormone-drenched guy genre, but it doesn't excuse the over-the-top nature of this movie's juvenalia. It almsot negates both the empowring of Asian Americans AND the bits of smart political commentary casually tossed off throughout the dialogue. And BTW, Rossiter, there are no hyphens in "Indian American" and "Korean American."
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Melisa said:
The movie was alright - I enjoyed all the cinematic imagery, but I esp. loved the music in the film. I just bought the soundtrack and I can't stop listening to it - really great!
35 agree | 41 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I read the books and I am an adult female that enjoys a good fantasy book without romance in it. Yes, the books are a bit different, but the story line moved quite well even though it was much different from the books. Well done. My whole family watched it and it was entertaining to us.
119 agree | 110 disagree
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mandela said:
"Lions for lambs" is a colossal bore.
253 agree | 222 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Pirates of the Caribbean(all 3)have to be the best movies i have ever seen. This is an extremely harsh review of a completely AWEsome movie! I mean come on there had to be something this reviewer liked about it.
300 agree | 291 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
RE: POTC3 - I found it to be highly entertaining-which is what a movie is supposed to be! Hey, some liked it, some didn't - so what? Johnny Depp made all 3 movies fun to watch (he IS very easy on the eyes)! A lot of people loved it - hence its popularity. Fantasy pictures are fun - much needed in today's world. There are many "serious" movies with plots so convoluted a person would leave the theater confused. With POTC a person could leave the theater laughing (hang the plots) and wanting more. I think sometimes even critics don't know what they want in a movie. But, you can bet your bottom dollar that if there's a POTC4 it'll be a hit - again, hang the "plots", bring on the characters and the FUN! And if the first 3 didn't float your boat then stay home!
328 agree | 324 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I agree with Sally Kline's assessment of Michael Moore's documentary... the film left me thoroughly disgusted with the American healthcare system and disenchanted with the ways my fellow citizens and our policy makers are influenced by the almighty dollar. It's sad and pathetic, and no solution seems in sight...
583 agree | 395 disagree
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Jackie said:
I love4 you Johnny and please make more films with you as the pirate I think you are the greattest
602 agree | 378 disagree
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