Review of film: “SMART PEOPLE” -- People?-- Yes; Smart? -- NO!

Review of film:   “SMART PEOPLE”   --  People?-- Yes;  Smart? -- NO! 

                     [ RATING:  5.5 of 10 stars ] 

Date Rated: Apr 11, 2008 | Rel. Date: Apr 11, 2008 =

Based on an advance preview:  This film is being sold as a comedy-romance. I found exceptionally LITTLE to laugh at, and romantic only if you use its meaning of "IMPRACTICAL".  It might better be described as, DYSFUNCTIONAL 'R US…

…  On a technical level, all the main actors (DENNIS QUAID as the father, SARAH JESSICA PARKER as a doctor, THOMAS HADEN CHURCH as Quaid's brother, ELLEN PAGE as Quaid's sarcastic & bitter daughter, & ASHTON HOLMES as his often-ignored son) do a good job portraying their usually-strange characters…

…  The problem is, so many of the characters are inherently OFF-putting (especially Quaid's arrogant, shuffling teacher). A friend agreed with me that it's hard to fathom WHY certain characters would be ATTRACTED to each other (i.e., Parker with Quaid and Page with Church)…

…  There are some interesting "commentaries" mixed in with the fluff, but it's all so subtle, you have to wonder if it's worth the effort. The film is not bad, but it's not very good.