Smart People (2008)

Directed by Noam Murro. Starring Dennis Quaid, Thomas Haden Church, Sarah Jessica Parker, Elliot Page, Ashton Holmes, David Denman, Christine Lahti, Camille Mana. [R]

First feature film for both director Murro and screenwriter Mark Poirier is a Noah Baumbach-esque seriocomedy of a dysfunctional family and an unlikely romance. Quaid is a cranky, self-absorbed English professor, Page and Holmes are his kids, Church his immature “black sheep” brother, and Parker a doctor (and former student) he’s attracted to. Fails to explore any of the characters at askew angles; like wind-up toys, they’re established and let loose on one another, and the various actions (including Page’s high school whiz making a move on her adopted uncle) don’t lead anywhere altogether surprising or insightful. Satisfactory performances and an infrequent stream of mild chuckles keep the movie puttering along to its unsubstantial wrap-up, but it’s hard to invest interest in characters who are neither likable nor original. Music by Nuno Bettencort of Extreme fame.

50/100