- Notes provided by Miramax. -

"We'll figure this out. We're smart people." -- Janet

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 collegiate son (ASHTON HOLMES) won't confide in him, 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 find passion in anything anymore, not even the Victorian Literature in which he's an expert, it seems Lawrence is sleepwalking through a very stunted middle age. When his brother shows up unexpectedly for an extended stay at just about the same time as he accidentally encounters his former student Janet (SARAH JESSICA PARKER), the circumstances cause him to stir from his deep, deep freeze, with often comical, sometimes heartbreaking, consequences for himself and everyone around him.

Featuring the screenwriting debut of highly acclaimed novelist Mark Poirier (Goats, Modern Ranch Living) and the feature film directorial debut of award-winning commercial director Noam Murro, SMART PEOPLE, is a darkly funny tale of a very bright family in way over their heads. The film features an ensemble cast including Golden Globe nominee Dennis Quaid (Far From Heaven, Traffic), Golden Globe winner Sarah Jessica Parker (The Family Stone, Sex and the City), Academy Award® nominee Thomas Haden Church (Sideways), rising young stars Golden Globe nominee Ellen Page (Juno) and Ashton Holmes (A History of Violence).

The producers are Bridget Johnson (As Good As It Gets, Jerry Maguire), Michael Costigan (American Gangster, Brokeback Mountain), Michael London (Sideways, The Family Stone) and Bruna Papandrea (Better than Sex). The behind the scenes team includes director of photography Toby Irwin in his feature film debut, editors Robert Frazen (Smokin' Aces) and Yana Gorskaya (Rocket Science), production designer Patti Podesta (Bobby, Memento) and costume designer Amy Westcott (The Squid and the Whale). The score features the film composing debut of Nuno Bettencourt, best known as the former lead guitarist for the rock band Extreme.

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