Smart People (2008)

Into the life of a widowed professor comes a new love and an unexpected visit from his adopted brother.

Director:

Noam Murro

Writer:

Mark Poirier

Stars:

Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Quaid	...	Lawrence Wetherhold
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Janet Hartigan
Thomas Haden Church	...	Chuck Wetherhold
Ellen Page	...	Vanessa Wetherhold
Ashton Holmes	...	James Wetherhold
Christine Lahti	...	Nancy
Camille Mana	...	Missy
David Denman	...	William
Don Wadsworth	...	Hadley
Robert Haley	...	Roth
Patrick James	...	Curtis (as Patrick Sebes)
Kevin James Doyle	...	Rodney
Paul Huber	...	Ben (as Paul J. Huber)
Iva Jean Saraceni	...	Volunteer
Richard John Walters	...	Parking Lot Attendant

Storyline

Lawrence Wetherhold is miserable and misanthropic: he's a widower, a pompous professor at Carnegie Mellon, an indifferent father to a college student and a high-school senior, and the reluctant brother of a ne'er-do-well who's come to town. A seizure and a fall send Lawrence to the emergency room where the physician, a former student of his, ends up going on a date with him. His daughter, Vanessa, lonely and friendless, who's been bonding with his brother, tries to sabotage dad and the doctor's relationship, but Lawrence is good at that without help. Is there any way these smart people can get a life? Can happiness be pursued beneath layers of irony?

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Plot Keywords:

student | professor | doctor | date | physician | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes the smartest people have the most to learn

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, brief teen drug and alcohol use, and for some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

BV Entertainment - DVD and Blu-ray Disc Miramax [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

11 April 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Una familia genial

Filming Locations:

Allegheny General Hospital - 320 East North Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£88,235 (UK) (16 May 2008)

Gross:

$9,496,882 (USA) (30 May 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Groundswell Productions, Sherazade Film Development

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rachel Weisz was originally cast opposite Dennis Quaid in this film, but she decided to leave the project. She was then replaced with Sarah Jessica Parker.

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Goofs

At the end of the movie it shows Chuck buying a case of Heineken in Costco. The sale of alcohol is prohibited from being sold in any type of grocery or convenience store in the state of Pennsylvania.

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Quotes

Janet Hartigan: I'm sorry I called you an arrogant windbag the other night.
Lawrence Wetherhold: You called me a *pompous* windbag the other night.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #18.86 (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Peace"
Written by Nuno Bettencourt and Gary Cherone
Performed by Nuno Bettencourt

User Reviews

An Ordinary Film Thats Anthing But Ordinary

Smart People and Juno are alike in only in one way. They are both really good movies. The entire cast give great performances and this film has plenty of laughs. Thomas Haden Church and Ellen Page give sensational performances and have yet to disappoint me. The screenplay by Mark Poirier is very well written and deserves some attention that he will most likely not get. The film is very directed by newcomer Noam Nurro and any film he does its in good hands. Yeah I know thats there's a lot of films that are about ordinary people but its a plot thats never get old and always have great performances and laughs every time especially Smart People. Despite this film getting not that much praise, its a great film to see if you like those ordinary films that anything but ordinary.