I usually avoid reading others’ reviews of a film before I write my own—y’know, don’t want to “bias” myself and whatnot. (After all, what’s the point of having nine gazillion film critics in the world if we all think the same? Wait, you mean there never was a point? Oh, man…) I had a sneaking suspicion about Smart People, though, and I wanted to confirm it, so I scanned the reviews listed at Metacritic (which, if you don’t know, is kind of a Rotten Tomatoes for people that have lives). It wasn’t as bad as I expected—a solid 57/100—but I wasn’t too far off. Like all semi-arty films that get released in the spring, Smart People has been drubbed by the critics. Oh, well.

I'm an English prof. See my poetry book?

Now, to be fair, there’s a good reason this sort of drubbing occurs, but there’s also a bad reason. The good reason is that studios invariably save up all their good movies throughout the year, and then cram the release dates for all of them into December—because, as we all know, Oscar has an incredibly short memory. (Winning Oscars is important—where would Orson Welles and Charlie Chaplin be without all their “Best Picture”s?—oh wait.) This means that spring movies usually suck. The bad reason is that critics expect everything released this time of year to suck, and get ready to blast the movies before they actually see them (see: Fool’s Gold). More often than not, that means that when a nice surprise like Smart People actually shows up in the spring, the critics (who are still cranky from working overtime on the Oscars) tear it to shreds anyway, and nobody goes to see it. C’est la vie, I suppose. Perhaps it’ll find an audience on DVD.

Now, before anyone accuses me of liking too many movies (cough-my wife-cough), let me be forthright in saying that Smart People is not a “great” film. It is a mere “good” film (this is why it gets only three-and-a-half stars, and not five). It’s not the Towering Artistic Achievement (or whatever) that There Will Be Blood is. But it doesn’t have to be. Not every movie will be. Get over it. I simply don’t have the time or energy to argue over whether Citizen Kane or Tokyo Story is the Best Movie Ever Made. Who cares? They’re both great films. (If I had to pick, I’d choose Tokyo Story, but would it really change your life if I convinced you that it was better?)

In any case, even if we agree that Smart People isn’t the “best” film, I think it’s clear that it’s a pretty good first entry from director Noam Murro, who thus far has only directed commercials. It accomplishes quite a bit more than it should, thanks to a smarter-than-average script from (also first-time writer) Mark Jude Poirier and an excellent cast (which is particularly strong in the supporting roles).

You were funnier when you were pregnant.

The story is concerned primarily with Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid), a widowed English professor at Carnegie Mellon University, who wakes up in a hospital bed after suffering a trauma-induced seizure. The doctor (Sarah Jessica Parker) taking care of him turns out to be a former student who—to his surprise and delight—seems interested in getting to know him better; unfortunately, she also tells him the seizure renders his driver’s license invalid for the next six months. On the bright side, his deadbeat adopted brother whom he hates (Thomas Haden Church, Wings, Sideways) has decided to crash at his house. Joy! No need to hire a chauffer! Meanwhile, his uptight daughter Vanessa (Ellen Page) is driving him nuts obsessing over her SATs and he’s virtually ignoring his son James (Ashton Holmes), who’s a student at his own university.

I’m going to assume we can all guess where this ends up (people come to terms with things, learn valuable lessons, grow as individuals, etc.)—but to my knowledge, an unpredictable romantic comedy has never, ever been made—so why let that get you down? What’s particularly surprising about this one, however, is what a small role the romantic storyline actually plays. Smart People is concerned primarily with its other relationships: Vanessa and her uncle; James and Vanessa; etc. What’s particularly touching is watching Lawrence learn to respect his brother, and—later—to actually like him. Call it homoerotic if you must, but it’s undeniably refreshing to see a romantic comedy that examines all aspects of human relationships instead of just one.

Church really impresses here, creating a real character out of one that would be merely another pot-smoking mullethead in lesser hands. Page also does quite well—it’ll take her a while to top her performance in Juno, but that’s nothing to hold against her. Quaid does a convincing job of playing the stuffy professor—making the stereotypes work for him, instead of succumbing to them. Even Parker manages to get laughs, despite spending much of the film delivering the same line (which I won’t spoil here).

Caption this photo for fabulous prizes!

Smart People finishes with a somewhat surprising and disarming ending, which I’m sure will draw flack from the exact same people who complain that the film is too predictable. Well, you can’t win ‘em all—but if you enjoy romantic comedies or messy, complex dramas, I shouldn’t have to tell you that Smart People is for you. If you still haven’t seen Juno, rent that; but if you have, and you want to go see a movie, this is a pretty solid choice.