Smart People is the story of Lawrence Wetherhold (DENNIS QUAID, Far From Heaven) a widowed, imperiously brilliant, and self-absorbed literature professor who has alienated his son (ASHTON HOLMES, A History of Violence) and turned his teenage daughter (ELLEN PAGE, Juno) into an acid-tongued, friendless over-achiever. After a hit to the head he falls for doctor, and former student, Janet (SARAH JESSICA PARKER, The Family Stone, Sex and the City), at the same time, his ne'er-do-well brother (THOMAS HADEN CHURCH, Sideways) unexpectedly shows up at his door, low on cash and needing a place to stay. The circumstances cause Lawrence to stir from his deep, deep freeze, with often comical, sometimes heartbreaking, consequences for himself and everyone around him.