Liberal Arts (2012)

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"! ;-)

There are only a few movies out there which have a good moral to it, well this is a movie which comes under that. The movie is about a adult who thinks that only his college days had something meant to it, not his adulthood life. This movie has everything from romance to comedy to drama. I really liked this movie from all aspects, from the moral to the decisions Jesse makes in this movie. In all, it was a great movie to watch.

I wasn't a big fan of Josh Radnor's TV show 'How I met your mother' but upon reading a review of this film there was something that made me want to put that to one side and watch this film.Liberal Arts isn't like most Rom-com's you see these days. It's slower and more talky but when a big laugh comes along it certainly is a big laugh. The concept behind this film may not be new but the delivery and approach of it is.With Radnor on good form as the likable Jesse and rising star Elizabeth Olsen shining in every scene this film is an enjoyable one and is both thought-provoking and funny at the same time. When you can get people like Zac Efron, Richard Jenkins and Allison Janney to take up the smaller roles you know you're on a winner.The ending, or even the last 30 minutes are where things start to slide a little bit and it's almost as if the film stops itself from going too edgy in order to appeal to the masses. For me I would have liked the ending to have trusted itself and its audience a bit more.A good film, worth seeking out.

One of the few films which makes you laugh, think and feel deeply. It made me think on its messages long after viewing, on the experience of life in university in the humanities -to formative, shaping experiences.The dialoge is extraordinarily well written and the casting really works to bring out the heart of the film. Every character contributes profound insight in an understated manner. The film deals with the divide between the arriving encroachment of mundane adulthood. The film is many things, but above all, an ode to the experience of being in school, in liberal arts college.