Review of Smart People (2008) by Deb S — 01 Feb 2009

A funny moving portrait of a delightful band of characters! Thomas Haden Church and Ellen Page give sensational performances. Dennis Quaid played a different type of character in this movie than those you normally see him play.

He did a great job in this role as a very anal and inapproachable widowed professor. His daughter, who seems to be following in daddy's footsteps (Ellen Page) did a fantastic job as well. The social commentary that is offered in Smart People is served with inventiveness and imagination.

Jokes were clever and sharp. You will find the son and daughter characters here are also a nice contrast to the vapid teens normally inhabiting movies. They are complex and unique -- interested in more of their world than their peers who seem unhealthily fascinated by beauty products, video games, or celebrity rags.