Josh Radnor's making some serious moves outside of his day job on How I Met Your Mother(which someone insists I start watching now), and the Sundance Film Festival is apparently his chosen place to do it. His debut feature, the often charming if simplistic happythankyoumoreplease, proved to be a hit back in 2010 with the indie crowd, taking home the audience award at the festival. It didn't do much when released in theaters a few months later, but it has gained something of a cult following for its likable cast of supporting players given a chance to headline.
Now Radnor's back with his sophomore directorial effort, Liberal Arts, and again it proved to be a big hit with the Park City bunch, but the jury's still out on whether or not that translates to mainstream success. The newly released trailer gives the impression that Radnor is again sticking with the quirky indie route, and he's gathered another strong cast to help him out. He'll play 35-year old Jesse Fisher, who longs for the fun and youth of his glory days at college, so he leaps at the opportunity to return for a retirement ceremony for his old professor. While there he falls for the beautiful, intelligent, and precocious Zibby(Elizabeth Olsen), bonding over their love of music and books. He's mostly carefree about the relationship, which opens up feelings in Jesse he hasn't felt in years, even though he can't get past the 16 year age difference.The chemistry between Olsen and Radnor is apparent, but this has all the trappings of a paint-by-numbers festival film. Emotionally adrift intellectual with fears of growing old? Check. Free-spirited analogue of a woman who inspires and changes him? Check. Easy bumper sticker psychology that sounds good in the moment? Check. Overdone soundtrack by bands nobody's heard of? Check. As a director, Radnor has apparent gifts, but as a writer and big screen actor, he's got some serious deficiencies that don't seem to be cleared up quite yet. Hopefully the positive buzz from the Sundance crowd means Liberal Arts is more than it appears from this trailer. Look for the film to hit theaters on September 14th....
