if i were reviewing this film: smart people

smart people follows the awkward relationships of a sorry, self-absorbed professor, his family, and an ex-student now-MD love interest. if i were to review smart people, i might liken the film to its professor-protagonist: like dennis quaid's character, the film has a pretentious, elitist feel that lacks beauty and soul.

for a full review on the film, see http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24001511/

PS i do find it interesting that the filmmakers decided to cast the intellectual grump as an english prof. when conjuring academic stereotypes, my first instinct is to cast hypothetical english profs as individuals who are passionate about literature, otherwise mousey types that become strangely animate in the presence of language and writerly minutia. i suppose this reflects my own experiences in college and my belief in the transformative power of art--in what department might you cast a brainy, cynical jerk who's all ego and no soul?