Professor Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) is an intellectual giant - but when it comes to love, he's clueless.
A widower with a son and a daughter, Wetherhold teaches Victorian literature at a university. He thinks he is too smart for anyone else to understand or talk to. He can't connect with his students, and makes no effort to learn their names or get to know them.
Things begin to change when Wetherhold runs into his former student Janet (Sarah Jessica Parker) who had a crush on him while at university.
The pair go on a date, but Wetherhold talks non-stop about his work, never once asking Janet about herself. Frustrated, she tells him he's selfish, and leaves. It serves as a turning point for Wetherhold, making him rethink his behaviour, and he decides to make Janet fall in love with him again.
However, Wetherhold's daughter Vanessa (Ellen Page) is opposed to the match. Like her father, she thinks she is smarter than everyone around her. They may be 'smart people', but for them to have a chance at happiness, they'll need to find another side to their characters.
Don't miss this if you're a fan of Parker or Page. But, be warned, the smarmy smarties might get on your nerves.