This weekend I made it out to the theaters for Smart People, a film the Weinstein Company put out on about a thousand screens this weekend.  What a pleasure!

It's a tough film.  Most of the folks that came to the theater clearly came to laugh with Ellen Page - she starred along with Dennis Quaid and Thomas Hayden Church.  Her role wasn't really comical, and as a result the audience kept laughing at that I felt were awkward moments to laugh at.  Clearly, everyone wanted Juno back.

At the same time, this was basically a story about a family that's picking themselves apart at the seams, because all they really know how to do is criticise.  Dennis Quaid plays a college professor, a widower, and Ellen Page's dad, and I've really loved his recent work - this is more personal and more vulnerable even than In Good Company.  Here, he really shows himself to be one of the bravest, most grounded actors working today.

His deadbeat step-brother, played by Thomas Hayden Church, shows up at exaclty the time he's least wanted and most needed.  His character sets in motion a healing process that culminates in all of them learning to accept a very normal but very difficult blessing into their lives.  These people use their minds to keep themselves safe from change, and change comes.

This is not a comedy in the sense that Juno was - it deals in awkward, rough honesty in ways that will make most people uncomfortable.  What it does provide is some of the best performances from some of the best actors working today.  This isn't loud and thunderous work, and it's likely to get overlooked at awards-time.  That said, if you love actors like I do, then this is a piece of filmmaking you really can't afford to miss.

And for all the Juno fans out there - Juno may have made Ellen Page a star, but her work here clearly demonstrates her subtlety, her professionalism, and most of all, her grace.  You won't get to spend more time with Juno MacGuff, and you know what?  Do the girl a solid and buy a ticket anyhow.