Review of Liberal Arts (2012) by Elizabeth N — 07 Oct 2018

Ugh, Liberal Arts. Josh Radnor stars as a disenchanted thirty something year old guy pining for his college day experiences. As fate would have it, he has the opportunity to return to his college stomping grounds and he does. In doings so, he meets Elizabeth Olsen who is convincing enough as his young temptress. I can appreciate Josh Radnor as I watched much of How I Met Your Mother but felt like he fell in one of the pitfalls which is to direct and star in your own film; few artists can get away with it. Although the film has its moments, during most of the movie I was looking for reasons to multi task while on my couch. Who isn't tired of hearing this same old story of a man approaching middle age who realizes his memories of yesteryear may be a disillusion and the happiness he's looking for is in fact in the present day? I certainly am. Admittedly, it was endearing to see Radnor's character sit on Olsen's bed like a little boy when he could have easily become a predator; the scene just screams out to us, this is how sees himself. The highlight for me was Zac Efron as his "fairy godmother" who pushes Radnor's character into opportunities he may not have otherwise encountered. It took me a couple of attempts to get through this one. Thank goodness for pausing and resuming on Netflix streaming. Amazon Video offers it for purchase but not to rent.

No, it's not worth the couch time.