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    WSR Detailed DVD Review
    Smart People


    Genre: Comedy Drama

    Reviewed In Issue 135 (Oct 2008) Of Widescreen Review®

    Stars:
    Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page & Ashton Holmes

    WSR Review Scores
    WSR Picture Rating: 3
    DD Sound Rating: 3
    DTS Sound Rating: NR
    Download WSR Review
    Reference Systems
    Critics' Composite Score: 3
    Internet Links


    Special Features
    Special features include a commentary track by Director Noam Murro and Writer Mark Jude Poirer, interviews with the cast and crew in The Smartest People, nine deleted scenes, two minutes of outtakes in Not So Smart, and previews.


     DVD General Information

    (Studio/Distributor): Miramax Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number): 56506
    (MPAA Rating): R
    (Rating Reason):

    		 For language, brief teen drug and alcohol use and for some sexuality
    (Retail Price): $29.99
    (DVD Type): Single Side, Dual Layer (DVD9)
    (Widescreen Edition): Yes
    (Full Screen Edition): No
    (Anamorphic Widescreen): Yes
    (Running Time In Minutes): 95
    (Color Type): Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
    (Closed Captioned): Yes
    (Regional Coding): 1
    (Theatrical Year): 2007
    (Theatrical Release): Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release): No
    (DVD Release Date): 08/12/08
    (THX® Digitally Mastered): No

     Credits Information

    (Director): Noam Murro
    (Screenplay/Written By): Subscribe Now!
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      DVD Picture Information

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      DVD Sound Information

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      WSR Narrative Review
    Story Synopsis:
    After the death of his wife, College Professor Lawrence Wetherhold (Quaid) becomes miserable, self-absorbed, and emotionally removed from his son James (Holmes), while inadvertently turning his daughter Vanessa (Page) into a friendless overachiever. When a seizure and fall land Lawrence in the emergency room, he is treated by an attractive physician named Janet Hartigan (Parker), who was once his student. Vanessa takes exception to the new lady in her dad's life when Janet and the professor begin to date. With the help of her ne'er-do-well Uncle Chuck (Church), who has moved in with her dad and her, Vanessa sets out to sabotage the relationship between the two. Will any of these supposedly Smart People be able to get a life? (Stacey Pendry)

    DVD Picture:
    The anamorphically enhanced 2.38:1 DVD exhibits deep black levels with good detailing in the shadows, helping create a fairly dimensional-looking image. Fleshtones appear too brown, and the color scheme is generally dominated by browns, greens, and golds. Colors are somewhat desaturated. Resolution is fair, with finer details smeared, but compression artifacts are rarely distracting. Fairly heavy film grain can be a distraction at first, but it is consistent throughout and is easily forgotten. Contrast is balanced well. Edge enhancement is minor and rarely becomes a distraction. The H.264 AVC-encoded Blu-ray Disc is somewhat soft, with the finest details not delivered well. Black levels are elevated some. Contrast is slightly too hot as well. Shadows are somewhat flat, and there is little sense of dimension to the image. (Danny Richelieu)

    Soundtrack:
    With its constrained front stage and limited surround activity, the Dolby

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