Film Reviews

Smart People

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Denis Quaid
• Details: US / 95mins (15A)

Boasting a cast that would rock many a movie-goer's world, Smart People disappoints hugely, given the torrent of thespian ability involved. It stars Quaid as a dishevelled, cantankerous college professor who is struggling to connect with those around him after the death of his wife - most notably, his estranged adoptive brother and frightingly intelligent offspring. When he meets an ex-student (Parker) and begins a relationship with her, his homemaker, Young Republican daughter (Page) suffers a mickey-fit of epic proportions. While films about nothing can very often be entertaining, the character-driven angle needs to be well-drawn and pushed adequately, in order to distract from the lack of plot. This is a film where the vast majority of the characters are severely unlikeable, and poorly-realised. The script actually isn't that bad; it's more the stunted direction that perplexes. Director Murro paces proceedings in an inherently unhurried manner, but forgets to inject his characters with any traits that would make them watchable. The more time we spend with them, the less that happens, the more bored we become. He also undermines his entire cast by insisting on having every second scene interrupted by some alternative folk number that grates from the first instance. You can see why the cast signed on; with the exception of Page, no one has done anything of this magnitude in quite a while, but something special was needed to elevate the script - and this director just doesn't appear to have it in the locker. It is good to see the ever-capable Quaid attempting actual acting again, after collecting his pay cheque and flipping the audience off with the likes of the droll Vantage Point; while he's suitably surly, everyone else acts like they're attending the memorial service of a acquaintance they barely knew. The cast are all better than this - as is the audience. Awful title, too.

Review by Mike Sheridan