Liberal Arts is writer/director/star Josh Radnor’s followup to his 2010 film Happythankyoumoreplease. This time around he keeps the plot pretty simple. Radnor’s character is a literary type working a bland administration job at a New York college. His life is starting to feel a little disappointing, but an invitation back to his Ohio-based alma mater opens up a new world of excitement. Or, more accurately, his introduction to a fresh-faced 19-year-old (Elizabeth Olsen) who’s inexplicably infatuated with him opens up a new world of excitement. A couple months of letter writing later and Radnor sees himself going back to campus for another visit. With a nubile and willing teenager sitting there in front of him making goo-goo eyes, he’s then forced to ask himself the question, “What in the world am I doing here?” And, more urgently, “How can I say no?”
The thing about Liberal Arts is that it’s a smart, funny comedy that’s full of literary references, clever dialogue, and heady ennui. But it’s also a fairly obvious, generic plot about a manic pixie dream girl changing the life of an emotionally stunted man-boy. There’s nothing here that hasn’t been covered a million times before, nothing all that engaging. Liberal Arts feels like someone trying to mimic what they think an indie movie is supposed to be more than it feels like a personal story Radnor needed to tell.
Radnor leaves a little to be desired as a lead as well. He’s pretty charming, he has pretty decent comic timing, and he’s not entirely unlikable... but there’s just something missing. He doesn’t have any presence. So much so that he even feels a little over his head as a lead on a sitcom like How I Met Your Mother. Probably he would be fine as the guy’s friend, but he’s not quite engaging enough as the guy. Luckily, he’s got a couple of great actors backing him up here. Richard Jenkins’ subplot only connects to the rest of the film in subtle, thematic ways, but he’s still such a great actor that he manages to elevate the entire production every second he’s on screen. And Elizabeth Olsen, she’s such a magnetic, open wound of emotion that you can’t help but be deeply engaged and affected by absolutely everything she goes through. And this movie puts her through a lot. Liberal Arts doesn’t have much new to say, but it’s worth a watch for another chance to watch Olsen emote.
