Reviews

Smart People

As expected, smart supporting characters

By MARK BAZER | April 9, 2008

2.5 Stars

Smart People

Stories about addled, self-absorbed middle-aged male professors whose lives are falling apart and — worse yet — who can’t get published don’t mean much to the rest of us. Dennis Quaid’s Lawrence Wetherhold is a widowed lit prof with two kids (one worships him, the other hates him) and an unpublished tome about how illiterate everyone else is. Quaid jumps — or rather, slouches — fully into the character, but his misery is not something to make you want to break out the violins. Still, this film directed by Noam Murro from a script by Mark Poirier (both first-timers) adds something to the genre, with nuanced (and, yes, smart) supporting characters whose job it is to coddle and piss off Wetherhold — and eventually make him lovable. Ellen Page (Juno) stands out as the prof’s daughter, who acts as if she were his wife. Sarah Jessica Parker and Thomas Haden Church also pitch in. 95 minutes | Boston Common + Fenway + Harvard Square + Embassy + suburbs

Related: Review: Legion, Country for gold men, Buzz words, More

Topics: Reviews , Entertainment, Movies, Movie Reviews, More

| More

Most Popular

The Current Issue

Table of Contents

Cover Archive

Masthead | Authors | Contact us

Blogs

Where To Follow Me
Talking Politics | March 24, 2013 at 11:09 AM

Mo Takes His Turn
March 21, 2013 at 12:59 PM

[Q&A] KMFDM's Sascha Konietzko on art, Columbine and having balls
On The Download | March 18, 2013 at 3:22 PM

See this film series: The Belmont World Film Series @ Studio Cinema in Belmont
Outside The Frame | March 18, 2013 at 11:00 AM

See this film: This is Spinal Tap [with post-film talk by expert from Acoustical Society of America] @ the Coolidge
March 17, 2013 at 12:00 PM

ARTICLES BY MARK BAZER

REVIEW: EXTRACT | September 02, 2009
I'm hard-pressed to say, though, whether Extract is a significant leap forward for Judge in terms of story or just not as funny as his earlier work.

SOUL MEN | November 05, 2008
Mac especially is a joy to watch, and a counterpoint to the humor elsewhere, as he breaks out Temptations-style moves with just the right mix of sly fun and respect for the music.

FILTH AND WISDOM | October 27, 2008
As the lead character narrates his “filthy” story, and those of his London flatmates/neighbors, we hit upon boredom long before wisdom can arrive.

CITY OF EMBER | October 15, 2008
Kids who see the truth when adults cannot is a central idea in children’s stories, but today’s kids would hardly recognize the grown-ups in Ember’s totalitarian society.