Smart People | DVD Review

Making a case for the usefulness of emotional intelligence over the kind of intelligence needed to score high on SAT’s or to publish a book, Smart People is about miserable people trying to make that connection that might take them out of this groggy frame of mind.

Commercials director Noam Murro trades a lengthy career of beer and sporting apparel TV spots for a directorial debut that should have produced way better results at the box office. The indie-sized budgeted film, produced by Michael London’s Groundswell Productions was slotted for 08’s Sundance Film Fest and Miramax suited it with mid-April, 1000-plus theater release. Perfectly placed after Ellen Page’s much buzzed about Juno and prior to Sarah Jessica Parker’s Sex and the City, the talkie dramedy failed to connect with audiences perhaps because of narcissistic tonality and lackluster reaction from critics who gave the film a luckwarm response. Final tally after a two-month theater window failed to rake in 10 million.

Penned by novelist Mark Jude Poirier (who is pairing with Murro again for Hateship, Friendship, Courtship), the screenplay casts a net on top of a family of four, the bent out of shape characters include an aloof patriarch and absent-minded prof (bearded Dennis Quaid) who suddenly finds his half brother (Thomas Haden Church) in the mix and in the same measure, finds a love connection with a former student. Page plays his Quaid’s only daughter who comes across like an irritable 40-plus year old housewife dying to find a way out of the relationship but jealous about the new arrangements. Set against an irritating acoustic score, Poirier’s screenplay makes it to the safe-zone where the main character becomes a lot less self-loathing and everyone else around him is better off because of it. Such as the plainness of Pittsburgh, this is a forgettable family portrait filled with an awkwardness that stagnates, fluctuates and fails to be passionate about being dysfunctional.

The Smartest People – interviews with the producers, cast and crew
A talking heads collage intermixed with scenes from featuring a slimmed down Murro, Poirer, a couple of producers, and actors comment on the synergy of the film, the location choice (London probably had a large say in this) and a run down of all the characters. Not especially noteworthy.

Audio Commentary – view the film with commentary by director Noam Murro and writer Mark
Jude Poirier
The anecdotal commentary track basically tells us that the director and writer fused together fairly well with technical details are less in number. Brad Pitt was originally, the first choice for the lead role and that Ellen Page met Murro in a tete-a-tete in an airport terminal.

Not So Smart – a collection of outtakes from the film
This is a blooper reel that shows standard goofing off and an Ellen Page wondering how an Oscar-nom Church has trouble reading his lines.< Deleted Scenes – nine deleted scenes
Nine scenes in total that were chopped from the film and for the most part don’t feel necessary in providing further character depth, yet the more alluring scenes being shared between Page and Church might have warranted to be included in the film. The sequence taps into Page’s character’s potential crush with an almost a contempt-like attraction for her non-blood related uncle.

Apart from some nice exchanges between Church and Page, it’s wishful thinking to beleive that this would get a high grade like the Sideways and The Savages of the indie dysfunctional family genre.

Movie rating – 2

Disc Rating – 1.5