Smart People
Smart People sort of paraphrases the old adage “if you’re so smart what aren’t you rich?” but for the purposes here read “… why isn’t you’re life richer?”. Dennis Quaid stars as Lawrence Wetherhold, a widower and distracted professor who has faces a lot of rejection from publishing companies – almost as much rejection as his students have faced from him. His life hits a fever pitch after a trauma induced seizure leaves him unable to drive. Thomas Haden Church as his lackadaisical adopted brother Chuck comes to his unwelcome rescue as a rarely available chauffeur. Chuck moves into his house with Lawrence’s largely ignored son James and overachieving daughter Vanessa played by Ellen Page doing her trademark whip-smart teen routine. She’s a budding Republican with intimacy issues who takes a short but unhealthy interest in her uncle. She has also taken over the role of female head of the house but when Lawrence starts dating his ER doctor Janet (Sarah Jessica Parker) Vanessa adopts the role of saboteur. She comes by her relationship phobia honestly so dad keeping his budding romance from imploding becomes a question mark. Although the high IQ’s of the cast don’t seem to preclude them from the foibles of lesser mortals, as entertaining cinema Smart People seems to have been assembled by some very smart people.