If there is one thing an audience loves, it is a dysfunctional family. Watching a group of eccentric people spend their lives in a constant whirlwind of absurdity is entertaining because it can appear far better than the everyday drudge of our own lives. Now imagine you gave them your own humdrum lifestyle and sprinkled on some IQ points — the unspectacular result would be much like “Smart People.”

In his directorial debut, Noam Murro is unable to find the right formula to make this movie work. Not even the all-around sparkling performances by the film’s talented cast can jumpstart this lethargic story that just does not have the energy to wake up.

The plot begins with professor Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid, “Vantage Point”), who as a result of his wife’s death has emotionally isolated himself from his individualistic son James (Ashton Holmes, “A History of Violence”) and overly ambitious daughter Vanessa (Ellen Page, “Juno”). After a freak accident lands him in the hospital, Lawrence complicates things even more by falling for Dr. Janet Hartigan (Sarah Jessica Parker, “Failure to Launch”), who just so happens to be a former student of his. 

As if dating and dealing with his kids was not a big enough struggle in itself, Lawrence also has to cope with his shady adopted brother Chuck (Thomas Haden Church, “Spider-Man 3”), who is stirring up trouble in this already fractured household, despite just recently moving in with them. 

A widowed character’s life being turned around as a result of finding love is an overused cliche in movies and therefore must be spiced up quite a bit to make it worth watching. Regrettably, rookie screenwriter Mark Poirier does not yet have the skills to give this story the extra flavor it desperately needs.

But it is not just the recycled plot that contributes to the film’s dull taste. Throughout the entire movie there is a lingering feeling of depression and misery. Even the scenery lacks any vibrancy, and all this dreariness creates the sensation that this film is just slowly dragging by.

On the bright side, the darkness does help set the tone for the cynicism and bitter sarcasm necessary to make the humor in the movie work. Unfortunately, because “Smart People” tends to fall more in the boundaries of a drama than its desired genre of comedy, there are not as many laughs as one would expect.

Most of the props for generating these laughs go to Church’s remarkable performance. He effectively dishes out snappy yet witty remarks with such perfect timing that he creates comedic chemistry regardless of who is in the scene with him. At the same time, Church is compelling in his portrayal of Chuck’s transformation from an irresponsible slacker to a trusted member of the family.

Although he is not quite as captivating as Church, Quaid is still moving and believable as a self-absorbed father who is more concerned with, say, getting a book deal than with the successes of his highly intelligent children. While there is very little romantic chemistry between Parker and Quaid, this can mostly be attributed to the fact that Parker’s role is vastly underdeveloped, and no real reason is given for Janet’s attraction to Lawrence.

Even though her performance feels like a bookish reprisal of the role she played in “Juno,” Page is a fantastic young actress and does an excellent job in this film playing the sarcastic know-it-all, while at the same time knowing the right moment to show her sensitive side.

Despite the fact that it is hardly developed amid the boring nothingness that happens in the plot, this film actually has a resonant moral. The movie shows that sometimes the smartest people have the most to learn, and the real “smart” people are those who aren’t so egocentric and take time to enjoy life and family every now and then. Sadly, this moral is nowhere near as potent as it would have been had it been intertwined with an equally powerful story.

“Smart People” is a great example of why talent alone cannot carry a film. Even with a dysfunctional family chock full of enigmatic characters, the film’s stolid storyline still ends up feeling much more like our own routine, tiresome lives in which nothing happens. For this reason, this film is a smart bet for some excellent acting and a few laughs, but that is about it.

2 1/2 stars out of 5