Film Review : Liberal Arts

Film: Liberal Arts  /  Director: Josh Radnor
Cast: Josh Radnor (Jesse Fisher), Elizabeth Olsen (Zibby), Richard Jenkins (Peter Hoberg), Allison Janney (Judith Fairfield), Elizabeth Reaser (Ana), John Magaro (Dean), Kate Burton (Susan), Robert Desiderio (David) and Zac Efron (Nat).
Rated: PG-13
Distributor: IFC Films
Running time: 96 minutes

In Liberal Arts, his second feature film, actor-turned-writer/director Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother, Happythankyoumoreplease)  shows he knows more about romance from the written page than human interactions. Mildly twee in nature and with tones of  Wonder Boys, Liberal Arts creates a world ripe for the Fall Season but loses the balances with too much nostalgia and not enough edge and consistency.

Jesse (Radnor), a college admissions officer in New York gets a call from his favorite college professor, Peter Hoberg (Richard Jenkins), to return to his Ohio alma mater to speak at the professor’s retirement party. While visiting campus, Jesse begins a flirtation with an intelligent and too-old-for-her-age Sophmore named Zibby, played by the smart Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene). The trip comes quickly to an end with Jesse returning to the Big Apple with thoughts of Zibby racing through his mind set to (what else could there be) a Classical Mixtape montage – lovingly crafted by Jesse’s new love interest. Through the course of old-school paper-and-ink letters Jesse and Zibby unfold and discover a relationship that is deeper than either was prepared for.

With witty and free-spirited writing and smooth self-deprecating humor, the performances in Liberal Arts are nothing new to the Rom-Com Genre, but are well suited to the two principle actors. The relationship being formed never comes off as false or creepy in terms of an age gap (Radnor 35, Olson 19) but instead we get a glimpse into a genuinely honest and mature relationship  that’s easy viewing for the audience. 

With that being said, Radnor plays Jesse well but a little too straight & close, so viewers tend to get the lines blurred between where Radnor stops and our main character begins. Olsen is enjoyable and warm but never stretches beyond what we have seen in the past. Overall, the two actors have a great mix that most people recognize as revealing the story’s ending much too soon.

Brief additional notable cast members – A delicious Allison Janney as a callous, battle-axe of a Professor with the sexiness of a Mrs. Robinson. The H2O toting, high-on-life hippy convincingly and surprisingly played by Zac Efron and one very strong Richard Jenkins being extremely under used through out this 96 min. Feature. 

Overall the film plays nicely to its intended audience but fails to stay connected to the average passer-by. The script is funny and on point in many of its scenes but falls flat in connecting the outer story lines with the centralized characters. Radnor’s second run is enjoyable but the Director still has a bit to go to making his own version of Manhattan. 

~ Matt Miles, Producer of Fresh Roasted Films