Liberal Arts (2012)

Sweet, Jack and I agreed after we saw it yesterday, but not a chick flick, he confirms. Josh Radnor's sophomore effort (ha!) about a 35-year-old falling for a sophomore at his alma mater is brainy, romantic, and even better than his first, Happythankyoumoreplease. He directed, starred in, and wrote both screenplays. Apparently this one got Sundance's first-ever standing ovation earlier this year but failed to win any awards. His character Jesse, presumably named after his long-time friend and producer Jesse Hara, can be summed up in this exchange: "Don't overthink it," she says. He replies, "You've got the wrong guy." Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) is perfect for the part of the 19-year-old Zibby joking with her older man. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the wonderful Richard Jenkins (mentioned most recently in Darling Companion) makes us feel Professor Hoberg's pain at his own aging and Allison Janney (last seen on the big screen in The Help) is very funny as the sexy Professor Fairfield. John Magaro (new to me) has a nice turn as a lost soul and Zac Efron (Me and Orson Welles) is adorable as a free spirited guy who hangs around campus (in my own checkered academic career, I spent time on several campuses, and there were many guys like Efron's Nat).

Anyone who has read any of the PR for this movie knows that Radnor went to Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, a lovely, vernal campus northeast of Columbus near the middle of the state, set and shot much of the movie there and in surrounding areas. In fact, imdb lists only Columbus and Gambier as filming locations, but I distinctly remember seeing a credit for the New York crew.

There's nice usage of classical music, and half of the 20 songs I counted at movie's end (16 are listed here--you can also preview those 16 here) are classical (9 of the official soundtrack are of that genre). As a singer I particularly appreciated the closing song of the credits, I Want a Kenyon Man, sung by the College's female a cappella group, Colla Voce, and that track is available for free download from  a page on Kenyon's alumni site. The movie's soundtrack is credited to Ben Toth, better known as vocal coach to many stars, including Radnor for a performance of She Loves Me in New York after Liberal Arts wrapped.

This is thoroughly entertaining, better than rottentomatoes' numbers might suggest (critics averaging 69% to its audiences' 70). You'll enjoy the 97 minutes you give it.