Page brings 'Juno' ways to 'Smart People'
By Bruce R. Miller Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, April 18, 2008
For everyone longing for a "Juno" sequel, there's "Smart People."
In it, Ellen Page plays a similarly sassy teenager exasperated with the adults in her life. She's an oh-so-smart high school senior who runs her father's life with a firm hand but can't quite get a grip on her own. She knows more than her older brother; she's not afraid to weigh in on her uncle's laid-back lifestyle. And yet, there's a fear factor that hovers over everything she does.
When dad (Dennis Quaid) suffers a seizure, he's taken to the hospital where a former student (Sarah Jessica Parker) checks in as his physician. She puts the brakes on his driving, prompting his brother (Thomas Haden Church) to take over. The guy, though, is a real deadbeat -- the antithesis of everyone else in the house. When he's left alone with Page, she's oddly attracted to his free-wheeling ways. He gets her to loosen up. She goes too far.
Quaid, meanwhile, begins a relationship with Parker. He's a gruff old coot who doesn't remember the first thing about romance. But Parker cuts him slack. When she sees the end of the road, their shared life comes to a screeching halt.
Director Noam Murro plays his hand well. Although Page and Church are aces over Quaid and Parker, they're not trump cards, pulled from the bottom of the deck. Church, in fact, doesn't lapse into joker mode, even when he should. As in "Sideways," he steals just enough scenes to make his time memorable, not overbearing.
Quaid and Parker, though, could have been traded for any number of actors. Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney come to mind. Kevin Costner and Rachel Weisz could have worked, too.
Bland, dour and, often, unattractive, Quaid is a stretch as the object of Parker's affection. He needs some quality -- something from the past perhaps -- that would suggest the crush a student once had on a teacher. Parker's no prize, either, but at least she doesn't look like someone you'd want to avoid.
Luckily, Page is there to pull out a bit of his vulnerability. She helps us understand why he needs protecting and why he likes being sheltered. She's a wonderful young actress who has the potential to play more than a girl with very high SAT scores. The smartest of the "Smart People," she's someone who can elevate an adequate independent film into a very good one.
With superior writing, she can work wonders. Witness: "Juno."
It was the first of Page's greatest hits.
Rated PG-13, "Smart People" features adult talk and situations.
On a scale of four stars, "Smart People" gets:
3 stars
In it, Ellen Page plays a similarly sassy teenager exasperated with the adults in her life. She's an oh-so-smart high school senior who runs her father's life with a firm hand but can't quite get a grip on her own. She knows more than her older brother; she's not afraid to weigh in on her uncle's laid-back lifestyle. And yet, there's a fear factor that hovers over everything she does.
When dad (Dennis Quaid) suffers a seizure, he's taken to the hospital where a former student (Sarah Jessica Parker) checks in as his physician. She puts the brakes on his driving, prompting his brother (Thomas Haden Church) to take over. The guy, though, is a real deadbeat -- the antithesis of everyone else in the house. When he's left alone with Page, she's oddly attracted to his free-wheeling ways. He gets her to loosen up. She goes too far.
Quaid, meanwhile, begins a relationship with Parker. He's a gruff old coot who doesn't remember the first thing about romance. But Parker cuts him slack. When she sees the end of the road, their shared life comes to a screeching halt.
Director Noam Murro plays his hand well. Although Page and Church are aces over Quaid and Parker, they're not trump cards, pulled from the bottom of the deck. Church, in fact, doesn't lapse into joker mode, even when he should. As in "Sideways," he steals just enough scenes to make his time memorable, not overbearing.
Quaid and Parker, though, could have been traded for any number of actors. Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney come to mind. Kevin Costner and Rachel Weisz could have worked, too.
Bland, dour and, often, unattractive, Quaid is a stretch as the object of Parker's affection. He needs some quality -- something from the past perhaps -- that would suggest the crush a student once had on a teacher. Parker's no prize, either, but at least she doesn't look like someone you'd want to avoid.
Luckily, Page is there to pull out a bit of his vulnerability. She helps us understand why he needs protecting and why he likes being sheltered. She's a wonderful young actress who has the potential to play more than a girl with very high SAT scores. The smartest of the "Smart People," she's someone who can elevate an adequate independent film into a very good one.
With superior writing, she can work wonders. Witness: "Juno."
It was the first of Page's greatest hits.
Rated PG-13, "Smart People" features adult talk and situations.
On a scale of four stars, "Smart People" gets:
3 stars
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Kate wrote on Apr 19, 2008 11:51 AM: