All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Average User Score: 5 (15 sources)

Submit Movie Review

Review this film

Tell the world what you think of Smart People

Your Score:

reset score

Write Your Review:
When writing your review, remember to keep the language clean.

Submit Review Cancel

LaidBack4Life

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

The story was like the heartbeat wave of a dead person -_- Always expected something interesting to happen and it just didn't happen. So much rambling about meaningless stuff. What a bore !

Report Abuse

Posted jun 18, 2009 9:26 pm pt

westcoastwillam

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

I like this movie alot cause it falls into the same genre as such films as lost in translation or eteral sunsine of the spotless mind,although it seems watered down compared to thos films it is still A real life Family film with people you could...
[+] Read Full Review

I like this movie alot cause it falls into the same genre as such films as lost in translation or eteral sunsine of the spotless mind,although it seems watered down compared to thos films it is still A real life Family film with people you could realte to with great performances by Ellen Page and Dennis Quaid and mostly by Thomas Hayden Church I would say it is A must see movie for 2008

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted aug 22, 2008 2:40 pm pt

squishyhippo

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (1)

The premise of this film had me interested, unfortunately the screenplay was not strong and the film ended up leaving me hanging out for the end.
I am a great fan of Dennis Quaid, but this film does nothing for him. His character, a widowed...
[+] Read Full Review

The premise of this film had me interested, unfortunately the screenplay was not strong and the film ended up leaving me hanging out for the end.
I am a great fan of Dennis Quaid, but this film does nothing for him. His character, a widowed professor who prefers to indulge himself in writing his novel, ignoring his children's needs and isolating himself from his students. Yet regardless of this he still thinks he deserves more that what he's getting.
Now there have been more unlikeable characters in the film, but these other characters always seem to grow and develop as the film progresses. The same cannot be said for Quaid's character. He certainly tries to do the best with what's he's been given to say, but it's not enough to personalise the character for the audience.
Sarah Jessica Parker's character is equally benign, but again I think that is mostly to do with poor dialog and character development. The only character which seems well developed is the Professor's daughter, played by Ellen Page (Juno). Her intensity and struggle to find herself is appreciated in this slow moving droll film. I'm given the film one star and this is simply for Ellen's performance.
I would not recommend seeing this film unless you are looking for an alternative for a sleeping pill.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted jun 19, 2008 10:07 pm pt

jbeauchamp17

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (0)

Strong performances by all involved, especially by Ellen Page and Thomas Haden Church, help add substance and credibility to the film. Though following a slow pace which may bore some viewers, there is much to appreciate in this intelligent...
[+] Read Full Review

Strong performances by all involved, especially by Ellen Page and Thomas Haden Church, help add substance and credibility to the film. Though following a slow pace which may bore some viewers, there is much to appreciate in this intelligent dramedy about a dysnfunctional intelligent family out of touch with the world around them. There are some nice moments, and Noam Murro has given a solid directing performance from a clever script.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted may 21, 2008 11:29 pm pt

• [+] TV Guide
  
  88
  A sharp, superbly acted character-driven comedic drama.

  by Ken Fox | Read Full Review »
• [+] Entertainment Weekly
  
  75
  Smart People, unlike "Sideways" or "The Savages," has a plot that's a little too rote.

  by Owen Gleiberman | Read Full Review »
• [+] Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  
  75
  After its rough opening, Smart People settles down to be a funny, wryly enjoyable, effortlessly poignant parable of family life and a splendid showcase for its cast -- especially Page, who handily steals the movie and proves that her "Juno" success was no fluke.

  by William Arnold | Read Full Review »
• [+] New York Post
  
  75
  Page and Church work so brilliantly together as a comic team that it's worth enduring the leads' utter lack of chemistry together - not to mention the fact they're both wildly miscast.

  by Lou Lumenick | Read Full Review »
• [+] Time
  
  70
  There's nothing world shattering about Smart People. No one is ever going to call it a "must see" movie. But it is a trim, intelligent, reasonably amusing little movie. Call it a "could see."

  by Richard Schickel | Read Full Review »
• [+] Wall Street Journal
  
  70
  A good deal of the freshness comes from a grand, clownish slob played by Thomas Haden Church -- he's actually the smartest person of the piece -- while Dennis Quaid occupies the center with a mastery that's all the more notable for its humanity.

  by Joe Morgenstern | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Reader
  
  70
  Poirer and director Noam Murro have trouble bringing this to a satisfying climax, but the characters are credible and sharply observed and all four actors go to town.

  by J.R. Jones | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Hollywood Reporter
  
  70
  Poirier is a master at dialogue. His script crackles with sharp lines and he gives all his scenes a splendid comic undertow.

  by Kirk Honeycutt | Read Full Review »
• [+] Los Angeles Times
  
  70
  It's the kind of observational comedy, that'll be hard to find come summertime and should be enjoyed while there's still a chance.

  by Carina Chocano | Read Full Review »
• [+] The New York Times
  
  70
  The great virtue of Smart People, attributable to Noam Murro's easygoing direction as well as to Mr. Poirier's wandering screenplay, lies in its general preference for small insights over grand revelations.

  by A.O. Scott | Read Full Review »
• [+] The New Yorker
  
  70
  These small-scale, intelligent movies can fall into a trap: it's hard to achieve a satisfactory dramatic climax when observation is your principal dramatic mode.

  by David Denby | Read Full Review »
• [+] Austin Chronicle
  
  67
  There much more roiling beneath the surface of these characters and it's a shame we don't come to understand them better. Smart people, dumb choices: it's true for both the characters and the filmmakers.

  by Marjorie Baumgarten | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Onion (A.V. Club)
  
  67
  Dennis Quaid could stand in for Jeff Daniels' similarly toxic snob in "The Squid And The Whale," if only he were a little smarter and a little better-dressed.

  by Tasha Robinson | Read Full Review »
• [+] Baltimore Sun
  
  67
  A third of the way through Smart People, I channeled Randy Newman's "Short People" and thought, "Smart people got no reason to live."

  by Michael Sragow | Read Full Review »
• [+] ReelViews
  
  63
  The main problem with Smart People is that it never breaks new ground. This is territory we have seen tilled to better effect by more perceptive motion pictures.

  by James Berardinelli | Read Full Review »