I just can't figure out if it's because you're advanced, or because I'm stunted.

Liberal Arts
Josh Radnor 2013 USA
Starring: Josh Radnor, Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney, Zac Efron, John Magaro, Elizabeth Reaser

Zac Efron really is completely talentless isn't he? Here he turns up spouting gibberish as clichéd hippie Nat and not only fails to convince but manages to be little more than Zac Efron in a silly hat. He does however get a surprisingly potent line when he asks of main man Jesse "Why do I like this guy?". It's an appropriate question because throughout the film it's hard to see why attractive, vital student Zibby takes to the moody, arrogant, insincere dickbag either. At one point she tries to seduce him and he responds by haranguing her about her fondness for vampire novels. Later she practically offers herself to him on a plate (or indeed a bed) and, despite his apparent attraction towards her, he turns her down which does fit with the age gap stress that's been bothering him but is essentially nullified when he immediately goes to a bar and is himself seduced by his cold and patronising former professor (a pretty awful Allison Janney), who's actually even more unlikeable than he is. As it turns out the central romance isn't even the chief story of the film, instead Zibby is merely a part of Jesse's larger angst-ridden narrative. The same goes for the totally wasted Richard Jenkins who as haggard professor Peter kick-starts the tale and introduces the two leads but, despite being given a half-hearted attempt at his own mini-plot, disappears soon after then only gets wheeled out to give condescending advice to Jesse. Self analysis in itself isn't a problem, after all Woody Allen has been ploughing that furrow for forty years, but Radnor doesn't have a modicum of the wit, intelligence, insight and inward-facing cruelty of Allen so all we're left with is a slightly dull man's even duller story. There are a couple of promising possibilities in the script like the idea of a mid-thirties graduate being taught life lessons by a group of teenage students and Zibby's fervent insistence on her infantilised moniker rather than her real name (Elizabeth) but neither are explored any further than their fleeting mention. Likewise, a brief interlude with a suicidal bookworm is just slotted in then forgotten about until the last 15 minutes so more pompous advice can be given. I have to admit I did enjoy the irony of Elizabeth Olsen's sparky, likeable performance being a million miles ahead of the much more experienced Radnor's but I'm relatively sure it was unintentional. I haven't seen much of Radnor's better-known work in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother but, judging by the series' massive success, I assume he's better in an ensemble cast where any shortcomings are easier to hide. At least I hope so because as a writer/director/actor he's woefully deficient in at least two of those roles.