Release Date
April 11, 2008
DVD Release Date
August 12, 2008 (Buy on Amazon)
Director
Noam Murro
Writer
Mark Poirier
Cast
Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page, Ashton Holmes, Christine Lahti
Studio
Running Time
93 minutes
MPA Rating
Rated R for language, brief teen drug and alcohol use, and for some sexuality
Professor Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) might be imperiously brilliant, monumentally self-possessed and an intellectual giant – but when it comes to solving the conundrums of love and family, he's as downright flummoxed as the next guy. His teenaged daughter (Ellen Page) is an acid-tongued overachiever who follows all too closely in dad's misery-loving footsteps, and his adopted, preposterously ne'er-do-well brother (Thomas Haden Church) has perfected the art of freeloading. A widower who can't seem to... Full synopsis »
MOVIE REVIEW
Review by Robert Bell
Intelligence is often mistaken for discipline. We, as a society, attribute intelligence to those in certain professions, like doctors and professors. While this certainly makes the trait more explicitly identifiable and easily defined, it's overlooking a great deal of complexity surrounding emotional and cognitive intelligence. In order to succeed in the world of academia, there is a natural acceptance of social signifiers and constructs. There is a belief in the measure of worth by one's ability to succeed given pre-determined criteria. The neuroses and naturally inquisitive nature of intelligence often conflicts with this structure as it is implicit and flawed. This is why disciplined may be a more accurate way of describing those in challenging professions, as their roles in no way imply a natural human understanding beyond those of their peers. It implies only that they excel at standardized testing, or come from a rich family. Which is not to be dismissed at all, discipline is an enviable characteristic. However, it is not intelligence. Full movie review »
Intelligence is often mistaken for discipline. We, as a society, attribute intelligence to those in certain professions, like doctors and professors. While this certainly makes the trait more explicitly identifiable and easily defined, it's overlooking a great deal of complexity surrounding emotional and cognitive intelligence. In order to succeed in the world of academia, there is a natural acceptance of social signifiers and constructs. There is a belief in the measure of worth by one's ability to succeed given pre-determined criteria. The neuroses and naturally inquisitive nature of intelligence often conflicts with this structure as it is implicit and flawed. This is why disciplined may be a more accurate way of describing those in challenging professions, as their roles in no way imply a natural human understanding beyond those of their peers. It implies only that they excel at standardized testing, or come from a rich family. Which is not to be dismissed at all, discipline is an enviable characteristic. However, it is not intelligence. Full movie review »
