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 (as Mark Jude Poirier)

Stars:

Dennis Quaid, Thomas Haden Church, Sarah Jessica Parker

3 nominations.

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 Sebes	...	Curtis
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 | emergency room | high school | college | 

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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 USA:

$4,092,465, 13 April 2008, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$9,496,882, 1 June 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, 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

Professor Wetherhold would not have been able to see his car being towed from his son's dorm room. His car is parked behind the east wing of Donner Hall (the actual dorm at Carnegie Mellon where the scene was filmed). The only place in Donner Hall from which it is possible to see the car from that angle is the common area of the dorm's 'A' floor, one floor above the parking lot.

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Quotes

Vanessa Wetherhold: Dad if there are *any* romantic inklings, you're simply not ready. I mean the socio-sexual mores
Vanessa Wetherhold: Ah and look, let's not forget the stigma attached to widowers.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

This Is Your Life
Written by Nuno Bettencourt and Gary Cherone
Performed by Nuno Bettencourt and Suze DeMarchi

User Reviews

A maybe-dumb view from academia

I would recommend this film to my colleagues or maybe the students as well.

Being a college faculty member, I did enjoy watching this movie. The interpretation of academic life is exactly what it looks from an insider's point of view, except that I have not got a student's crush yet.

Unfortunately, the ending is nothing other than Hollywood. The abrupt character change of Dr. Wetherhold seems sort of unbelievable. I simply wish it could be a tiny bit smarter. Because of the ending, I gave a 9 out of 10. Remember, I am not a professor who gives an easy A.