Smart People

English literature professor and widower Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) may be a smart man, but he is not a nice man. He cannot remember his students’ names, he is perpetually frustrated at not having his book published and he lacks a meaningful relationship with his son. He moves the hands of his office clock forward by 10 minutes to avoid meetings with keen students and he parks his car irresponsibly which leads to it being towed.

In fact, this last transgression results in Lawrence’s downfall. Literally. As Lawrence tries to illegally retrieve his briefcase from his impounded car after refusing to pay the fine – to a former student whose name he forgets and whom he once graded very harshly – he falls from the top of the impound lot fence and suffers a trauma-induced seizure. Lawrence wakes up in hospital, face to face with the attractive head of the ER, Dr Janet Hartigan (Sarah Jessica Parker), another former student of Lawrence. She too was marked harshly by Lawrence and so turned her back on the study of English literature to pursue medicine.

Lawrence’s erudite career is littered with similar tales of personal destruction. Most poignant, Lawrence’s daughter Vanessa has grown up to become a more extreme version of her father. In fact, Vanessa is so callous and driven by academic accomplishment that when she receives a phone call from Dr Hartigan on the night before her SAT exams informing her of her father’s accident, it takes a second, guilt-tripping phone call from the doctor to convince Vanessa of the value of visiting her father. Vanessa’s obsessive determination to put pursuits before people is highlighted upon her arrival at the hospital when she makes it clear to her father that he is to blame if she receives anything less than a perfect SAT score.

As Paul writes in Galatians 6:7-8, “A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction”. Lawrence’s educational obsession has spoken far louder than his words ever could and his daughter Vanessa has been a keen listener. His pursuit of academic success, his disregard for his son’s pursuits and his pompous put-downs of students who fail to meet his standards have moulded his own daughter into an opinionated, ivory tower-dwelling social outcast.

As Smart People progresses, Lawrence pursues a relationship with Dr Hartigan. Unfortunately, Lawrence’s history of being pompous and career-focussed continually hijacks their growing romance. The presence of Lawrence’s adopted brother Chuck forces both Lawrence and Vanessa to question their hard-hearted ways. Sure, Chuck may be jobless, dishonest, undependable and a drug user but his ability to demonstrate to his brother and niece that there is more to life than their high-sounding but superficial pursuits warrants some merit.

Smart People posits the view that no matter how high someone’s IQ might be, if they fail to value the things in life that ought to be treasured, they are essentially fools. While the filmmaker’s idea of what is valuable may differ to the Christian’s view, the Bible does echo the sentiment. After the return of the seventy-two Jesus sends out to proclaim the gospel, he declares, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children”. Jesus’ words acknowledge the supreme truth that while there is some gain in a worldly education, true value comes from knowing God. Paul underscores the idea for the meritocracy that was dominating the church at Corinth: “Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” The highest grades worldly wisdom can afford, and the status they deliver on this earth will never match the grandeur of being welcomed into God’s kingdom.

Christians ought to put first the things of God and let other priorities like work, education, leisure and rest – which are all good in moderation – come after. But do we? If you’re a family person, pose yourself this little test. What will take priority tonight, getting the homework done or having the family Bible study?

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