smart people
The Story:
Carnegie Mellon English Professor Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) is a depressed middle-aged widower. He is arrogant at work, uninterested in his students, and alienated from his two children. His adopted ne'er-do-well brother Chuck (Thomas Haden Church) arrives to borrow money and stay for a while, and tries to unwind Lawrence's lonely, high-achieving teenage daughter Vanessa (Ellen Page).
Meanwhile, Lawrence suffers a trauma-induced seizure after falling from the top of a fence in an attempt to retrieve his briefcase from inside of his impounded car. After being released from the hospital, Lawrence has a meeting with a sympathetic doctor, Janet (Sarah Jessica Parker), a former student he does not recall. Janet ends up going on a date with Lawrence.
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?
Starring:
Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page, Ashton Holmes, David Denman, Camille Mana.
Directed By:
Noam Murro
Release:
2008
Watch the Trailer:
