Liberal Arts

2012 "Sometimes students make the best teachers."
6.7| 1h37m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 14 September 2012 Released
Producted By: Tom Sawyer Entertainment
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: https://www.bcdfpictures.com/films
Info

Newly single, 35, and uninspired by his job, Jesse Fisher worries that his best days are behind him. But no matter how much he buries his head in a book, life keeps pulling Jesse back. When his favorite college professor invites him to campus to speak at his retirement dinner, Jesse jumps at the chance.

Genre

Drama, Comedy, Romance

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Liberal Arts (2012) is now streaming with subscription on Paramount+

Director

Josh Radnor

Production Companies

Tom Sawyer Entertainment

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Liberal Arts Audience Reviews

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated
Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.
SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
Sanjeev Waters A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
BasicLogic This is a very matured film written, directed and acted properly as it should be. Very enjoyable, allowing lot of people who have once attended the college, graduated, melted into the real world of the livelihood. "Any place you cannot leave is a prison", that's a very profound way to look at life at different period. This film provided you with a well thought through scenario what an adult would face and has to deal with. The age of innocence before the age of reality, care-free 4 years of college, then the cruelty of becoming an adult. This is a very good and subtle film that would allow people like us to have the opportunity of a nostalgic retrospection, looking back where you were once there, and to willingly accept where you are now in life. Growing up and growing old is not a poetically beautified process but a pre-destined necessity.
srdjan_veljkovic Compared to "happythankyoumoreplease", this is much more mature. The story is more mature, the humor is more mature. Not just because the main character is older and not just because he's less of a Ted Mosby of HIMYM fame, and the whole setup has very little similarities w/HIMYM. There's one _great_ joke and several very good ones, though there are less good ones in total (compared to "happythankyoumoreplease"), which is OK, since the story is more mature.But, it fails short of being a very good or great movie/comedy. Mostly because Radnor seems afraid to explore interesting opportunities. Sure, there are people who are like that, and you can say that movie is showing such people, but, well, showing such people is not well suited for a good movie, especially a comedy. At least the way that the story is positioned.Also the whole "you're better off dating someone your own age" feels way too politically correct and somehow unworthy of Radnor (the movie actually uses the politically correct term "age appropriate"), as Radnor seemingly stands for "good and nice things, regardless of political correctness". You would expect "you're better of dating someone you really love, regardless of age" from such a guy.So, Radnor needs to mature more and not be afraid to present his nice and funny view of the world, the politically correct police be damned! :) If he does that, he could make a great movie some day. I hope he does. Because, if he doesn't, that would mean that Barney Stinson failed to "teach him how to live"! ;-)
perkypops A bright, refreshing, snappy script promises an evening of good cinema, but, unfortunately it doesn't last. The premise of an opportune romance between a nineteen year old and thirty five year old has been done several times over but here Olsen is convincing as a young women who wants to explore and be curious. For a while this film is willing to explore its own promise freely and with stylish brushstrokes, but then somewhere, around the middle the plot takes a rather clumsy detour and goes into standard fair mode.It isn't all bad, but it is a pity an opportunity to really dig deep into age gap romance is thrown away in preference to hackneyed story lines and the snap disappears.Five out of ten made up mostly of a good performance by Ms Olsen and her flatmate.
Danny Yu Seeing the nice score, I decided to give this indie-esque movie a shot. I was thoroughly impressed, especially upon finding out that Ted (Josh Radnor) from How I Met Your Mother had directed this! Liberal Arts is definitely a film I'd recommend to anyone wanting a fresh, intellectual take on a somewhat comedic, romantic film. By the end the of the movie, I'd have to say this. Be prepared. I was anticipating a very predictable plot, and was actually going to watch this as a feel good film. Alas, I was given a spin cycle. The dialogue was not too stale and the plot itself was something new in the genre of stale romantic films, at least for myself. Radnor, who played Jesse in the film, gave a great performance as a somewhat "awkward" bookworm. Elizabeth Olsen, Libby, was a very believably outgoing college student and the pair, together, gave this movie a lovely result. I was enticed by the film's relatability and I think anyone who is past the age of 18 and dating could probably see something special in Liberal Arts. Those who are introverts, I'm sure, will definitely have their heartstrings pulled. In such a short period of an hour and thirty minutes, I couldn't help but wanting more at the end, but if I go into that bit I may just spoil the film. Perhaps this film is how Radnor felt he should have met the mother.