Keanu Reeves and Martin Scorsese in 'Side by Side'

Have you ever wondered what your favorite director thought about shooting on digital film? How about actress Greta Gerwig? Have you even considered what the indie actress thought the first time she heard the whirring sound of an actual celluloid camera? What of cinematographers and colorists—how interested are you in exploring their relationships? (Are they adversaries? Do they work as a team? Did they start out adversaries, but thanks to advances in technology, now work as a team?) Have you ever wondered how Keanu Reeves would sound saying such profound phrases as “film has helped us share our experiences and dreams,” or “by the 1980s, Avid had developed digital editing into a cost-effective, computer-based system”?

If the answer to any of the above is “yes—but only if fed to me through a 90-minute documentary”—then you are exactly the niche audience longtime production manager and part-time documentarian Chris Kenneally had in mind for his second feature-length film, Side by Side.

Perhaps that sounds unduly negative. After all, there are many out there for whom portions, at least, of this documentary about the rise of digital film in cinema may be of interest. Side by Side manages the tough task of being an instructive look into the way technology has developed over the years while also being occasionally entertaining. There is a intriguing question prevalent in the movie—which taps the likes of Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Richard Linklater, James Cameron, George Lucas and David Fincher, as well as the special effects guy for Jurassic Park, for answers (and yet, for some ungodly reason, chose Keanu Reeves as its narrator)—one that can be summarized somewhat neatly: Are we at the end of film?

Unfortunately for the producers, that doesn’t take too long to answer. The only people who even try to argue against the relentless march of technology do so purely on an aesthetic basis. Digital film lets you shoot longer, and for less money. It is easier and cheaper to edit. It is better for the planet. The end. As Ms. Gerwig puts it, “They process digital now to make it look like film, as if film is inherently better. Just, we like the way it looks better. Which seems kind of arbitrary, because it’s just what we’re used to.”

Surprisingly, the film chooses independent cinematographers (Reed Morano and Bradford Young) to defend the more expensive, older technology, as if the idea of film reels is now so antiquated that the only people who use them do so specifically so they can talk about how it “feels different.” Hipsters, basically. The film barely acknowledges that most films are still mainly shot on celluloid, with digital cameras filling in occasionally.

With 80 minutes left to fill, Mr. Reeves is left to ask more questions about, you know, movie stuff. Judging from the answers given, the questions range from “Do you remember back when you had ‘dailies’ and had to edit movies by hand?” to “Did Robert Downey Jr. ever pee in jars and leave them around your set as a form of protest?”

It’s not that the answers aren’t interesting: Mr. Lynch, whose last film, Inland Empire, was shot entirely digitally, claims that he will never return to celluloid. Some like Mr. Fincher, on the other hand, recognize that digital film can lead to terrible-looking movies—though he rightly puts the blame on the people who make them, not what equipment they are shot on. And Danny Boyle is perhaps the best example of how an early adopter can turn a public’s interest and make something like digital film mainstream. After watching a Dogme 95 film called The Celebration, which was shot entirely on a Sony Handycam, the director tracked down the film’s cinematographer, Anthony Dod Mantle. The result was 28 Days Later, portions of which were shot with digital cameras. In 2009, their film Slumdog Millionaire became the first movie shot predominantly in a digital format to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Mr. Cameron and Mr. Lucas, meanwhile, are super-jazzed to talk—at length and ad nauseam—about every minutiae of digital editing and special effects. This would be less irritating if they weren’t busy taking credit for everything short of inventing the digital camera itself. Actually, Mr. Lucas comes close, boasting about how his company created the analog computer editing system EditDroid, and the next thing you know, he’s referring to the game-changing digital editor Avid as a “we” endeavor. It would have been good to take note here that EditDroid was a commercial failure and was sold to Avid in 1993 after the Star Wars remakes. Only 24 ED systems were ever made.

Frankly, the movie has too much time on its hands: it spends an exorbitant amount of it talking to colorists, special effects animators, editors and various other people with jobs that you’d only care to hear about if you were really really interested in how films are made. And when someone appears whose only movie credit is the new Joseph Gordon-Levitt feature Premium Rush, you have to wonder what he is doing sharing screen time with Mr. Scorcese.

Finally, in a movie that gets into the nitty-gritty of editing and special effects, you would think the glaring continuity error of Mr. Reeves’s hair length would have been noticed and fixed in post. (It goes from very short, with stubbly beard to very long, with neckbeard, before going short again, then long again, etc. It’s quite distracting.)

But let us not nitpick. It’s doubtful that anyone will leave this movie siding with the celluloid purists, believing that the digital process will be the end film as we know it. Auteurs will continue to shoot in whichever medium they prefer, and there will always be hundreds of forgettable flicks for every great one, no matter what technology is employed—a lesson Side by Side proves simply by existing.

SIDE BY SIDE

Two stars out of four
Running Time 99 Minutes
Directed by Chris Kenneally
Starring: Keanu Reeves, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron,
Robert Rodriguez, Walter Murch and David Fincher

A scruffy Franco, post open bar, pre Q&A (Julie Cunnah Photography)

In our post-fashion week hammock of a lull, with the Presidents Day exodus to boot, we were surprised when our inbox lit up yesterday afternoon with a short note from our friends at the Film Society of Lincoln Center: “Hey, do you want to meet James Franco?” What a silly question.

Doing a quick bit of research, we learned he was hosting a remixed screening of Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho. Mr. Franco aptly redubbed his take on the cult classic "My Own Private River" an homage to the late River Phoenix, a young actor that had made a lasting impression on an even younger James.

As we approached the Walter Reade Theater for this Franco flavored chapter of the Film Comments Select Series, we spotted our PR contact and he yanked us inside. “Come on you have to see this, they’ve decorated the reception exactly like an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting … except there’s an open bar.”

Having seen our fair share of flicks depicting AA meetings, this fit the bill: chintzy channel fabric hung the walls in medieval monotones, utilitarian foldout tables piled high with pamphlets, a respectable snack area in the corner. Atypical from the scene, however, was the wide grin smacked across the face of a bartender, holding court over an impressively stocked open bar.

Drink in hand we eyeballed the projector displaying what had been discarded footage from Van Sant’s original cut of My Own Private Idaho, turning back around to attack the cheese booth, in walks Franco.

Typically swaggered, slightly squinted (a la Oscars), and donning a quilted Gucci leather jacket, Mr. Franco beamed around the room, shaking hands, kissing babies and then, finally, speaking with The Observer.

JF: Hey man, have we met before? You look familiar.

NYO: I don’t believe so, but that’s not terribly important. Mind if I ask you what it was like to obliterate an apartment with a sledgehammer on film for Wholphin films?

JF: You saw that! Haha! I love those guys, we had a ton of fun. I really fucked that room up didn’t I? Funny you mention Wholphin actually, it’s a bit under wraps but I’m doing a whole new project with them, basically focusing on all of my short films from film school. It’s gonna be fun.

NYO: Speaking of film school, we seem to remember a scurrilous headline from the Huffington Post trumpeting the fact that you received a “D” in one of your film courses at NYU–it’s good to see that that blow didn’t make you rethink your career.

JF: Ahh man, not you, too! Look, everyone who’s anyone who’s ever been to film school can tell you this–it’s not about the grades, it’s about the body of work you produce. I knew I had that grade coming, had discussed it with the teacher, I think there’s actually some sort of lawsuit or something around that whole thing. Either way it’s stupid.

NYO: So what was the initial attraction to My Own Private Idaho? Was it the Shakespearean connection? I mean, you were, what, 15 when River died?

JF: Yeah, I was young, but River had influenced me from an even younger age, along with Van Sant’s work. These guys were idols of mine, so when we found what had been lost footage, the dailes, the cuts, etc, it was a total honor to re-cut the movie in tribute.

“Would everyone please take their seats in the theater!”

NYO: Looks like it’s that time, James.

JF: Take Care, man.

Wholphin is the film imprint of McSweeney's. See James Franco destroy a bedroom on Wholphin No. 8 (https://store.mcsweeneys.net/products/wholphin-no-8)

We think that's Mr. LeGros under the Reagan mask.

Surf's up for Point Break actor James LeGros and his wife Kristina Loggia LeGros . City records show that the couple just purchased a new home at 5 East Third Street. Mr. LeGros, who plays Roach in the epic surf film, paid $1.7 million for the apartment, which was originally listed for $1.89 million.

Perhaps the new two-bedroom, one-bath will remind Mr. LeGros of frolicking in the summer sun with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze when Point Break was filmed back in the early 1990s. "Sparkling light fills the space from north, south and west all day," according to a listing from Brown Harris Stevens broker Brahna Yassky. Ms. Yassky declined to comment.

The 1,900-square-f0ot home was previously owned by Carol Yoshimura.

eknutsen@observer.com

Monday: Empire Records
Here’s a reminder that, once upon a time, people did go to stores when they wanted to buy music … and the music they purchased was on a CD! Empire Records has gained quite a reputation over the last decade, despite paling in comparison to the vastly superior (and similarly themed) Dazed and Confused. Ironically, the two films share Rory Cochrane as a cast member (Slater in Dazed; the Zen-like Lucas here), but, as fun as he is in Empire Records, we’re more susceptible to the charms of Liv Tyler (as the ingénue) and Renee Zellweger (as the sex kitten with the killer voice). For nostalgia enthusiasts, dust off your old Gin Blossoms albums and enjoy. [Fuse, 10 p.m.]

Tuesday: NYC Prep
If NYC Prep has any say in the matter, Gossip Girl will no longer be your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite. The new reality series follows six Upper East Side teenagers, all but one of whom attend posh-but-unnamed private schools, and tries to capture the same decadent, post-Gomorrah lifestyle that the CW show so deftly does on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, thanks to some ridiculously forced conversations (while shopping for clothes, the Serena-like Jessie just so happens to find time to express her “hate” of Gossip Girl) and even worse reality television acting, we’re sorry to say that NYC Prep fails to gain admittance into the upper crust. Still, kudos to lothario-in-training Sebastian, who, at 16, says his hobby is to hook up with the hottest girls he can. The kid makes Chuck Bass look like a charter member of the National Abstinence Education Association. [Bravo, 10 p.m.]

Wednesday: The Philanthropist
In NBC’s continuing quest to corner the market on shows starting with the word “the,” here comes The Philanthropist. James Purefoy (Mark Antony from Rome) stars as Teddy Rist, a Sir Richard Branson–type billionaire who wakes up during a flood in Nigeria and decides that he should start using some of his riches to save people. Neve Campbell co-stars, in her first series work since Party of Five. First Matthew Fox. Then Jennifer Love Hewitt. Now, Ms. Campbell. Lacey Chabert, we're waiting! [NBC, 10 p.m.]

Thursday: Point Break
With director Kathryn Bigelow making her triumphant return to theaters this week with The Hurt Locker, maybe it’s time to go into the ole time machine and remember her biggest hit. Made when she was still Mrs. James Cameron, Point Break is a classic ’90s relic, the kind of movie with excess amounts of violence, nudity and Gary Busey. This film is so ridiculous that Keanu Reeves’ undercover agent is actually named Johnny Utah. Vaya con dios, brahs. [Starz in Black, 10:35 a.m.]

Friday: The River Wild
Meryl Streep, action star! The World’s Greatest Living Actress™ lets her hair down and kicks Kevin Bacon’s ass in Curtis Hanson’s underrated 1994 white water rafting thriller. Speaking of Mr. Bacon, fans of his namesake parlor game should take note: With always ubiquitous co-stars like John C. Reilly and David Strathairn making appearances, The River Wild creates a veritable smorgasbord of possible degrees. [Woman Max, 1:50 p.m.]

Need a movie to keep you company until you literally can't keep your eyes open? Join us tonight when we pass out to The Devil's Advocate [starting @ 10:50 p.m. on Encore]

Why we'll try to stay up and watch it: Winning an Academy Award is a tricky thing. If an actor gets it too early in their career, chances are they'll never live up to it again. But if they get it too late--for the wrong performance--it winds up validating all their negative habits. So when Al Pacino finally won his Oscar for Scent of a Woman, it wasn't as a make-up for all the times that he deserved the trophy but lost; it was the warm embrace by Hollywood for the over-the-top ham he had become since Scarface. It was a statement: "Sure we liked your subtle Strasbergian work in the 70s, but we really love your screaming in the 90s!" And so that brings us to The Devil's Advocate, a movie that must have been pitched with four simple words: Al Pacino is Satan.

The Devil's Advocate is a Frankenstein monster of a film, combining elements of The Firm, Rosemary's Baby and, the aforementioned Scarface, into an overstuffed 2-hour-and-20-minute package--we have to wonder if director Taylor Hackford yelled, "it's alive!" when the editing process was finally completed. Everything about the film is so unbelievably gratuitous and grotesquely overboard that it wouldn't surprise us to learn there was a deleted scene featuring Mr. Pacino and a group of pigs literally wallowing in their own filth. And yet! The Devil's Advocate is hilariously fun, just so long as you don't take anything about it seriously. This is easily the closest movie Mr. Pacino has ever made that resembles a straight-up comedy. To wit: A young hotshot defense attorney from the south (Keanu Reeves with a southern accent; need we say more) gets called to New York at the behest of big time lawyer named John Milton (get it?), a mysterious man who ends up being... Lucifer. If you aren't laughing yet, wait until you see the final act.

When we'll probably fall asleep: The third act of The Devil's Advocate is, for lack of a better word, bananas. Here is just some of what you can expect: Mr. Pacino lip-syncing to the Frank Sinatra song "It Happened in Monterey"; Connie Nielsen's breasts; more drive-by incest than an episode of Gossip Girl; and a nearly 14-minute monologue that ranges from the absurd to the truly absurd. It's like the script is just a pure stream of consciousness. Pacino-as-Satan utters howlers like, "I'm a fan of man", "We're gonna come out, guns blazin'" and "I'm peaking; it's my time now" with such passion and fire that you can't help but be wildly entertained. So we'll stay up until 12:50 a.m., two hours into the film, to see Mr. Pacino do his song and dance routine. The sad part is that he's better in the last twenty minutes of The Devil's Advocate than he was in all two hours of Scent of a Woman. One performance got him an Oscar... the other got him derision. The Academy Awards giveth and the Academy Awards taketh away.

Gran Torino

What's the story: Clint Eastwood stars,  for the first time since Million Dollar Baby in 2004, as Walt Kowalski, a racist widower who overcomes his prejudices to help the Hmong family next door fight gang violence. Like everyone else, we've had our eyes on Gran Torino for some time. And while Mr. Eastwood was shutout at the Golden Globes, it seems like a natural lock that the grizzled veteran will score his third Oscar nomination for Best Actor. In fact, if there is one person who can beat Sean Penn for the award, expect it to be Mr. Eastwood. It might be the last chance the Academy has to honor his thespian skills. Plus, he sings! As for the film, the reviews have been fairly complimentary. Our Andrew Sarris calls Gran Torino an "emotional thunderbolt". We're sold. 

Who should see it: John McCain.

Doubt

What's the story: The last movie that John Patrick Shanley directed was Joe vs. the Volcano in 1990. Now, eighteen-years later, he returns with Doubt. Based on his play, Mr. Shanley finds himself in charge of a stellar cast for his tale about a strict nun and a priest who might or might not have done something inappropriate with a young student. (Hence the title.) Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis all scored Golden Globe nominations for their roles, but expect Ms. Adams to be the lone exclusion come Oscar time. We adore the trailer and will pretty much see Ms. Streep in anything ... except Mamma Mia.

Who should see it: Cardinal Egan.

The Reader

What's the story: Based on the Oprah-approved book by Bernhard Schlink, The Reader finally made its long and tortured journey to theaters this week. The behind-the-scenes drama is well documented, with Harvey Weinstein and Scott Rudin clashing in a battle over when the film should be released. (Mr. Weinstein ended up being victorious.) With it's highly pedigreed cast and crew, The Reader seems like perfect Oscar catnip; but despite four Golden Globe nominations, the reviews have been fairly underwhelming. With the exception of Kate Winslet, don't expect a lot of recognition come Jan. 22.

Who should see it: Scott Rudin.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

What's the story: We can't say we know a single person who's excited for this remake of the '50s classic. Even the filmmakers appear bored; the best they can do for a money shot in the trailer is to show Giants Stadium getting wiped away by what looks like the smoke monster from Lost. Snooze! Keanu Reeves, his face overdosed on botox, stars alongside the infinitely more interesting Jennifer Connelly. Mad Men's Jon Hamm makes an appearance too, but we assume he gets killed off within the first hour.

Who should see it: Betty Draper.

Also coming out: Nothing Like the Holidays, Adam Resurrected and While She Was Out.

"You have to respect the original--and you have to respect the fans of the original that expect certain things--but you've also got to play to a lot of audiences that, for the most part, don't know the original," said director Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Hellraiser: Inferno). "So basically we looked at the original and tried to figure out everything that can be updated in some form and what won't update well. The story though is the main thing. I always loved this story of the alien coming to earth and the biggest update to the movie is the one dealing with social issues. The original was very much about its time--the Cold War and 1951 and the atomic bomb. This movie has a whole different plane of issues it is dealing with that paints a picture of where we are in the world right now."

Mr. Derrickson said that there is no actor who can pull off playing an alien better than Mr. Reeves. (We tend to agree.)

"He is an alien!" the director joked. "No, but Keanu I really do believe is an actor that has very particular gifts. I don't think there are a lot of actors who could have done The Matrix movies and not looked ridiculous. I knew he would be able to portray the oddness and the uniqueness of an alien without it becoming silly, or over the top, or distracting."

While the appearance of Mr. Reeves and Ms. Connelly got quite a few yelps and whoos from the crowds lines up outside, no on seemed to get quite as much attention as Will Smith and wife, Jada Pinkett Smith--who, it should be noted, are not in the film, but their 10-year-old son Jaden is.

Mr. Smith, for the most part, avoided talking to press so as not to overshadow his son's special evening, but at times couldn't help but enjoy the attention. He signed autographs, jumped into the crowd of fans and allowed them to snap cell phone pictures, and even took a young girl's camera and started taking photos himself.  

"I'm supposed to be letting him do his thing tonight," Mr. Smith confessed to press, trying to avoid questions. "I'm supposed to be stepping back. Y'all are gonna get me in trouble!" (Nearby, Jaden seemed to be unfazed by his father's antics and quietly continued to do interviews on the red carpet, ignoring the presence of his parents altogether.)

Mr. Smith told the Daily Transom that he's a huge sci-fi fan, but Ms. Bates, who was fanning herself with a lacy black Victorian fan to cool off from the unnecessary heat lamps overhead, said she was never a big follower of the genre. 

"I love the Alien movies, but I was never really a Trekkie," she said. "The geekiest thing I do is watch American Idol. Is that geeky?"

When Don Draper--oops, we mean Jon Hamm--made his way down the carpet, the Daily Transom inquired whether he was ever a sci-fi geek.

"Yeah, big time!" he said. "I grew up in the '70s and '80s so I had Star Wars, and Close Encounters, and Blade Runner and 2001. It was an awesome time for sci-fi."

When Mr. Hamm was asked if he still does anything geeky, his girlfriend, Jennifer Westfeldt, rolled her eyes and affectionately nodded yes.

"Oh yeah, I'm a big comic book guy and--"

"Video games, video games, video games!" exclaimed Ms. Westfedt. 

"Yes, for a long time I had an Xbox in my trailer, but now we're two or three generations away from that," said Mr. Hamm. "I have a Wii that's sitting in my office that I have yet to unpack because I know that will be a time sucker." 

Need a movie to keep you company until you literally can't keep your eyes open? Join us tonight when we pass out to Speed [starting @ 11 p.m. on @Max]

Why we'll try to stay up and watch it: Pop quiz, hotshot. You have work in the morning. You could go to bed at a normal time and get a good night's sleep. Or, you could stay up late watching Speed, one of the slickest action movies from the last 15 years. What do you do? What do you do?

Clearly, there is only one answer here. Made during the early '90s, when putting a fresh spin on Die Hard was de rigeur for Hollywood, Speed still ranks as one of the best pure action spectacles of all time. For two hours we're treated to nothing but explosions and chases, with the occasional one-liner tossed in for fun. Though it pains us to say it, since it sounds like a Peter Travers pull quote, Speed is literally a nonstop adrenaline rush. Jan De Bont's film is in permanent overdrive; a hostage situation inside an elevator, which would be the climax of most action movies, here is just a prologue setting the stage for more insanity.

A pre-botoxed Keanu Reeves stars, and Speed is notable for being Sandra Bullock's big breakout performance. But Dennis Hopper, as the Mad Hatter of terrorist bombers, steals the show. Without his maniacal over-the-top line readings, we doubt Speed would be nearly as good as it is.

When we'll probably fall asleep: There is one problem with Speed. Given that it's a movie about a bomb on a bus, shouldn't it be over when the threat has been eliminated? Well that happens after 90 minutes, when the hostages are taken off said bus, and the bus explodes while crashing into a cargo plane (naturally). So while we enjoy the last act, complete with a totally unnecessary decapitation of Dennis Hopper, we won't be awake past 12:30.

The dichotomy can be explained in part by the overlapping genre fare. Prom Night (no. 3), which grossed over $185,000 in the city, sucked the life out of the The Ruins (no. 5), which saw its fortunes take a precipitous 67.7 percent decline. Meanwhile, Street Kings (no. 1), starring Keanu Reeves as a detective who is implicated in the murder of a fellow police officer, appears to have delivered the death blow to the slick heist flick, The Bank Job (no. 8), with its $286,250 gross at 10 theaters; and Smart People (no. 2) with a bearded Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Ellen Page, took the air out of Leatherheads (no. 6), which had stumbled out of the gate. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there! And with the way the box office is slumping versus the same period last year, everybody loses!

The one bright spot is the success of Street Kings, Smart People and The Visitor, in the city. The remake of the ‘80’s slasher movie, Prom Night, handily won the top prize at the national box office. Here in the city, the smaller—and dare I say smarter—movies shown brightest, accounting for horror film’s third place finish.

21 (no. 4) continued its remarkable run. Its 36 percent decline in its third week was second only to Nim’s Island (no. 9), which only declined 33 percent. Whoopty-do.

When is summer going to get here already?

List of theaters: Paris, Zeigfeld, Oprheum, East 85th St., 86th St. East, 84th St., Lincoln Plaza, 62nd and Broadway, Lincoln Square, Magic Johnson, 72nd St East, Cinemas 1, 2 &3rd Ave, 64th and 2nd , Imaginasian, Manhattan Twin, First and 62nd St., Angelika Film Center, Quad, IFC Center, Film Forum, Village East, Village Seven, Cinema Village, Union Square, Essex, Battery Park 11, Sunshine, 34th Street, Empire, E-Walk, Chelsea, 19th Street East, and Kips Bay.

Manhattan Weekend Box Office: How moviegoers in the multiplexes of middle America choose to spend their ten-spot is probably a big deal in Hollywood. But here in Manhattan, the hottest movies aren't always the ones making the big bucks nationwide. Using Nielsen numbers for Manhattan theaters alone and comparing them to the performance of the national weekend box office can tell you a lot about our Blue State sensibilities. Or nothing at all! Each Monday afternoon, we will bring you the results.

SPEAKING OF IRON Men (ba-dump), Keanu Reeves returns to the big screen this weekend with Street Kings, and oh, how we’ve missed The Keanu. Here’s the thing about Mr. Reeves: He’s consistently sort of flat, and weird in his delivery (has he ever been more believable than as sweet-but-daft Todd in Parenthood?). But somehow, over the course of his career—Point Break years, The Matrix ones, hell, even the Constantine and The Lake House days—he’s become someone we feel genuinely fond of. A Keanu Reeves performance is a comforting thing, like reading a book a second or third time. Which is perfect for Street Kings, a movie we swear we’ve seen at least three other times before. It’s based on a James Ellroy book, directed by David Ayer (who wrote Training Day), about an LAPD cop who is forced to question his loyalties to his team and his captain after a fellow officer is murdered. Can you guess, in a secret-super-twist, who turns out to be the villain? If you can’t, just watch the preview, as it’s clearly revealed! Mr. Reeves is surrounded by a stellar cast—hi, Jay Mohr!—that includes Forrest Whitaker, who seems to be having a lot of fun, and unlikely hot man Hugh Laurie. The movie may be predictable, but somehow, perversely, it’s still pretty entertaining.

Street Kings opens Friday at AMC Magic Johnson.

WE FULLY EXPECTED to love Smart People. It had everything that we like in a movie: a smart cast (Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page, Thomas Haden Church) and a funny premise (crotchety professor tries to find love), and seemed right in that Juno-Little Miss Sunshine-The Family Stone-The Squid and the Whale-Wonder Boys-Nobody’s Fool wheelhouse. Which was maybe the problem. For when you take apart the film, directed by first timer Noam Murro, everything at first glance seems to work—funny dialogue, good music, chemistry within the cast—and yet somehow nothing ever seemed to click into place. We couldn’t put our finger on what the precise problem was—maybe Dennis Quaid’s odd choice in his character’s speaking voice?—and, it’s not Ellen Page’s fault that she has been cast again as a sassy, fast-talking, preternaturally smart teen (this time, she’s not pregnant, she’s a young republican). The standout was Thomas Haden Church who livened things up every time he was onscreen … which wasn’t, sadly, enough.

Smart People opens Friday at the Angelika Film Center and City Cinemas Third Avenue.