Pompous is the new smart-at least, according to Smart People (Miramax, April 11).
Smart People is a new “romantic dramedy” revolving around the dysfunctional Wetherhold family. Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid, Vantage Point) is a professor at a small college and a single dad still hung up on the loss of his wife. He raises his two kids, James (Ashton Holmes, A History of Violence) and Vanessa (Ellen Page, Juno), and tries to avoid his deadbeat adopted brother Chuck (Thomas Haden Church, Spider-Man 3), who is always asking to borrow money.
Lawrence is in need of a chauffeur until he is able to drive again following an accident. With Vanessa trying to get into a prestigious university and James already in college, Lawrence allows Chuck to be his driver in return for giving him a place to stay.
The accident also brings Lawrence to a hospital where he meets former student Janet Hartigan (Sarah Jessica Parker, TV’s “Sex and the City”), who harbored a crush on the professor 10 years prior.
While Lawrence struggles to deal with his brother, publish a book and form a relationship with Hartigan, he ignores Vanessa, a straight-A student who spends her free time studying or doing work for the Young Republicans.
The problem with Smart People is that there is absolutely no reason to like most of the characters. Lawrence is a conceited man, which only frustrates the audience.
Vanessa is not much better, as a miniature, selfish version of her father. Hartigan is the most normal of the characters, but her attraction to the pompous Lawrence is confusing. The premise of their relationship never makes sense, and is uncomfortable and distracting to watch.
In the end, Chuck proves to be the enjoyable character, the only one who doesn’t bring about more frustration than laughs.
The dialogue in Smart People is intelligent, but its usually not funny or interesting. Besides a few amusing moments, the film is just a bunch of miserable people hating their lives, something that most people probably could go without seeing.
The performances are solid, but there is only so much one can do with a bad script. The film accomplishes little, except to build audience hatred of the characters.
Smart People is a pompous smug-fest; it’s almost enough to make you want to go watch some mindless nonsense like Prom Night-almost.
