Philippine Entertainment News

Another Dibidi Ma’am, Dibidi Ser special.

Title: Smart People (2008)
Director: Noam Murro

How I Got My Hands on It: Friends gave it to me for my birthday, and they really impressed me with their DVD choices, probably from Dampa sa Libis where they have their suki TV series supplier. Knowing I’m a huge fan of Sideways (2004) and Ellen Page because of Hard Candy (2005), they knew I’d love this. They’ve also been branding me as this smart failure, so they probably figured I could relate to this one very well.

What the Hell: As my friends suspected, I actually liked it, only not as much as Sideways. The first reason is obvious: Ellen Page. Ever since her vengeful innocent girl role in Hard Candy, I knew I’d be stalking her movies. I’m a little confused with this role though. She’s a Young Republican, a Stanford passer, a right on sarcastic kid, very angsty, but she wears a Japanese schoolgirl skirt (at least in the poster). The characterizations are just difficult to align–one moment she’s smoking marijuana for the first time and the other she’s desperately kissing his dad’s adopted brother (Thomas Haden Church). Now, I’m more like Church’s character recently. If asked the Wanted question “What the fuck have you done lately?” I’d probably say something like “I watched a documentary about Helvetica.” while holding a bottle of Pale Pilsen. If there’s anything in it that reminded me of Sideways (as it’s made by the same producers), it’s not Church (who played the bestfriend in the latter movie) but Dennis Quaid playing this middle-aged douche professor who falls from the fence of a car impounding area. And nothing much. Although more cocky, Quaid’s character lacked the same vigour as Paul Giamatti’s. And the same judgment holds true even if I don’t compare. Oh, and there’s Sarah Jessica Parker too who wouldn’t even take off her bra for a love scene.

What I Really Think: There’s something about recent Canadian movies that I’ve seen, and I like it. They have this tone which isn’t quite Hollywood while they’re not indie either. Whatever it is, it’s still an expanding kind of moviemaking that’s not bombastic but thought-provoking, funny in a non-slapstick way but not smug at all, having premieres in venues like Sundance but usually showing up in local theatres too. Although Smart People doesn’t rank to my esteem for Sideways or the epic Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I’d still ask friends to watch it. I feel no shame in keeping it for my DVD album which almost reeks like a grindhouse lineup anyway.

My Dibidi Ma’am, Dibidi Ser Rating: 3/5

Movie poster after the jump.