Both are about non-traditional, dysfunctional family units, both feature a main character who is a college professor, and both have prominent scenes that involve marijuana use.
Plus, both come to the same conclusion: “Intelligence” can have many different forms and sometimes it takes someone who we deem “unintelligent” to teach us the most about ourselves.
Matthew Perry makes Morrie a more sympathetic main character than Dennis Quaid is able to manage out of Smart People’s Lawrence. Morrie is the oldest of three siblings who were orphaned just as he graduated from high school. This leaves him to finish raising his brother and sister, a role he still doesn’t feel comfortable with even now, in his forties.
The movie opens, presenting the viewer with Morrie, desperate to achieve tenure - a position that he feels depends on sucking up to his co-worker/elder/childhood friend/neighbor Paul. Just as he is planning dinners and engagements with Paul and his annoyingly uptight wife (a fun performance from Hilary Swank) that Morrie and his wife (played adequately by Lauren Graham) are sure will seal the tenure deal, the brother and sister, both with their own set of complex problems and unresolved issues, show up on the doorstep.
And it is really these siblings, Jay and Ida, who steal the show. Character actors Ben Foster (Russel on Six Feet Under) and Ginnfer Goodwin keep up with the older cast members, creating the messed-up-but-understandable characters that a movie like this depends on.
Birds of America is not groundbreaking and by the end of 80 minutes, all loose ends have been tied into ribbons. But overall, the film succeeds over Smart People in at least creating characters that are worth caring about.
No comments:
Post a Comment