CMS – 332

George Corey

Dr. Ebben

“Get to know a lovableyet dysfunctional familyeveryone can relate to in this lighthearted comedy…”

Family

SystemCharacters

Dennis Quaid: Widowed, self absorbed professor.

Thomas Haden Church: Freeloading brother of Dennis Quaid.

Ellen Page: Sharp-tongued, overachieving daughter of Dennis Quaid.

Ashton Holmes: Loner brother of Ellen Page.

Lawrence Wetherhold Chuck Wetherhold

Vanessa Wetherhold James Wetherhold

Deception Fears of Intimacy

EffortJealousy

Shock

Recoil

Depression

Recovery

??? Stability/Balance???

Family Roles Change***

Prolonged Mourning

Providing Basic Resources

Management of Daily Needs

Providing for Individual Development

Providing Support and Empathy

Lawrence

Wetherhold

• He meets a woman and eventually opens up to her.

• The turning point effects other aspects of his life.

• School

• Family

• He learns to appreciate the people in his life.

Vanessa

Wetherhold

• She smokes a joint with Chuck, and slowly learns to enjoy life a little.

• The turning point effects how she treats her father.

• She opens up about her dad dating

• She lets go of her obsession with organization

Chuck

Wetherhold

• Through providing for individual development he has learned to be honest.

• The turning point comes when he realizes he is not scamming his family, but is actually invested in the system.

James

Wetherhold

• He does not have much of a sub-plot.

• He has a „heart-to-heart‟ with each family member on a separate occasion.

• He has an important support role.

Shock

Recoil

Depression

Recovery

??? Stability/Balance???

Family Roles Change***

Prolonged Mourning

???New Beginning???

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0858479/http://www.miramax.com/catalog/dramaBochner & Eisenberg, 1987Degenovaa & Rice, 2005Galvin, Bylund, & Grill, 2010Galvin, 2007Smart People. Dir. Noam Murro. Perf. Dennis Quaid, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Paige. Miramax Films, 2008. DVD.