SMART PEOPLE
RYAN: Sarah Jessica Parker has a new movie out, and I’m not talkin’ “Sex and the City.”
CAROLINE: Look at her, all branching out!
RYAN: I don’t know that it’s such a great idea for her to have another movie out right now. Shouldn’t she be putting all her energy into promoting “Sex and the City”?
CAROLINE: Well, she has no control over the release dates. And this movie, “Smart People,” is so different that I don’t think it matters. I like the idea of her having other ventures; I dig seeing her in different kinds of roles. And she’s versatile enough that during this movie I never felt like I was watching “Carrie Bradshaw.”
RYAN: She definitely breaks out of her “Sex and the City” mold in this movie. It’s quirky and delightful.
CAROLINE: The cast is great. It has Dennis Quaid, the ever-hilarious Thomas Haden Church and Juno a.k.a. Ellen Page.
RYAN: Fresh off her Best Actress Oscar nomination.
CAROLINE: She has a plethora of argyle sweaters in this film. Oh, and the guy who plays Pam’s ex-fiancé on “The Office” has a small part as SJP’s GBF.
RYAN: That’s gay boyfriend to you. I absolutely loved Dennis Quaid in this. It’s kind of the same role that Jeff Bridges played in that Babs movie, “The Mirror Has Two Faces,” but they made Dennis look so shnasty. His hair is too long, his face is all red and leathery and he has a terrible gut; but he’s still charming.
CAROLINE: I’ll have you know he gained 25 lbs. for this role. This movie reminded me of films like “The Squid and the Whale.” It’s small but really well done and it’s about family dysfunction and all that. And it has some really funny moments too.
RYAN: Mostly from Ellen Page. I think I liked her even more in this movie than I did in “Juno.” She plays a straight-laced Republican high school overachiever.
CAROLINE: She’s this decade’s Alex P. Keaton.
RYAN: I liked how the clothing tells the story for each of the characters. It got a little show about three-quarters of the way through, but overall I really liked it. I loved that part of it takes place on a college campus. And the soundtrack was great.
CAROLINE: Totally! Every time a new song came on, I was so happy. The music was everything that the Juno soundtrack should have been but wasn’t. The only thing that kind of bugged me was that SJP is supposed to be in her early 30s, and she really can’t pass for that anymore. I was also amused that Dennis Quaid has a 19-year old son in this movie, but in real life he has newborn babies, and he’s like, 54. That’s Hollywood for you.
RYAN: So what’s your bottom line?
CAROLINE: I would definitely recommend this movie, especially if you like small indie type films. It’s really funny, it’s only 90 minutes long and the cast is so fun to watch. They really mesh well.
RYAN: This is one of the films I’ve enjoyed most so far this year. It’s small and quiet, but so well acted. It hits all the notes that you want to see these actors hit.
CAROLINE: Congratulations to Noam Murro on his first feature. It’s a good one.