Smart People Critic Reviews

Smart People, unlike "Sideways" or "The Savages," has a plot that's a little too rote.Read the full review

The great virtue of Smart People, attributable to Noam Murro’s easygoing direction as well as to Mr. Poirier’s wandering screenplay, lies in its general preference for small insights over grand revelations.Read the full review

It's the kind of observational comedy, that'll be hard to find come summertime and should be enjoyed while there's still a chance.Read the full review

Poirier is a master at dialogue. His script crackles with sharp lines and he gives all his scenes a splendid comic undertow.Read the full review

A good deal of the freshness comes from a grand, clownish slob played by Thomas Haden Church -- he's actually the smartest person of the piece -- while Dennis Quaid occupies the center with a mastery that's all the more notable for its humanity.Read the full review

Dennis Quaid could stand in for Jeff Daniels' similarly toxic snob in "The Squid And The Whale," if only he were a little smarter and a little better-dressed.Read the full review

Though it features witty dialogue and good performances, the plot contrivances keep it from being an altogether winning enterprise.Read the full review

The main problem with Smart People is that it never breaks new ground. This is territory we have seen tilled to better effect by more perceptive motion pictures.Read the full review

As tough as Lawrence is to like, Smart People is even harder to hate, mainly because of the sharply observed script by novelist Mark Jude Poirier. Just when you're losing patience with the movie, it sneaks up on you with a poignant detail or a character-defining turn of phrase.Read the full review