Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) is a fumbling widower and Professor whose students think he’s a pompous windbag. But when a situation lands him in the hospital, his E.R. doc is Sarah Jessica Parker, who just happened to be one of his student’s from years ago. When the accident makes Quaid incapable of driving for six months his unemployed adopted brother (Thomas Hayden Church of “Sideways”) moves in to chauffer him. And that’s when the real story starts because Quaid’s daughter Vanessa (Juno’s Ellen Page) has issues with her father dating his doctor. Daughter Vanessa is on the national honor’s society not to mention a Junior Republican and has always played the role of housewife just fine since mom died. Her performance proves she’s no one-hit-wonder who happened to win an Oscar and she’s by far the only person who could have played this role – her sharp-tongue-wit has to match that of her academic father. From the producers of “Sideways” comes a smart movie called “Smart People.” It’s a small movie with a big story to be told. And it feels part “Sideways” and part “The Savages.” Just know that Quaid is not the sex symbol he once was, and Jessica Parker, well, she’s clearly placed her Carrie Bradshaw Manolo Blahnik’s on the shelf. For this…she’s serious. But it all works rather nicely and feels more like a bachelor movie than a chick flick. 3 Tiaras
