Smart People

I just went to see Smart People with a former coworker. It had very mixed reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but I was interested in seeing it because it is set at Carnegie Mellon University (like Wonder Boys). If you haven't noticed, I am a big fan of my alma mater and try to mention it anytime the opportunity arises.

For other alumna of CMU, you will enjoy seeing accurate representations of the all-too-familiar buildings. Donner is used as a dorm as it is in reality. The outside and inside of buildings match up according to what it actually is (in Wonder Boys they would film the outside of one building, but then show the inside of another. Like the scene where you see CFA inside, they use a different building for the outside. This is a very common thing in movies. In Silence of the Lambs, Soldier and Sailor's Memorial (also in Pittsburgh) is used for the cage scene, but the outside of the building when the police raid shows the outside of a different building). The house they use is very much the type of house and neighborhood found in the surrounding areas of CMU. They use Allegheny General Hospital and the Pittsburgh Airport (PIT) accurately as well.

Before going into the movie, I was warned that it depicted smart people as "arrogant, obnoxious, and Republican". Based on that description I was ready to be annoyed at parts of the movie with that stereotype. But watching the movie, I did not have a single moment where I was annoyed at the movie for their depiction of intelligent people. While Ellen Page's character is strongly characterized, it didn't come off as extreme to me at all. She did an excellent job in her role.

I don't really want to give too many specifics of the movie, so I'll wrap up my review here. But I certainly found the movie enjoyable and if you were considering seeing it but were worried about the same stereotype problems I was, you should go ahead and see it.

If instead you enjoy watching stereotyping of CMU girls, then definitely check out this video:

I personally think it's very well done and enjoyed it a lot. It's a lot of fun, and funny even for those who know about CMU, even if they don't understand all the references. Watch it, and you will probably have a better idea of where I'm coming from and what sort of environment CMU was in general.