canozer123
I went on to watch this film with the expectation that it's just another one of those movies that romanticize and praise a certain style of living that too many movies have already been doing. Though some of them are among my all-time favorite movies, like almost all Woody Allen films, there's some narrow-minded, almost snobbish element in them which suggests that this is the cool lifestyle to be living (by this, I mean being a sarcastic, hating-on-the-new-generation New Yorker who loves literature and philosophy).But Liberal Arts offer various perspectives on life which are never really encouraged or discouraged in the movie. Yes, "you should read books but also go out some time" is the thematic prescription that is given to book-lover viewers, but it is not presented too strongly; it is not the central motive of the movie around which the narrative is constructed, but it is the outcome of a narrative that just happens to occur without a thematic goal for it to reach. Teaching romantics without being a romantic, reading so many books to escape the social sphere, reading too many books to miss on the social sphere, being a conspiracy theorist/stoner, being old but feeling young, being young but wanting to be old; each of these perspectives on life is, while all of them are modestly presented in the film, neither glorified nor looked down upon.Liberal Arts tells a story that is not told with a screamingly loud subtext. It's just a well-presented humble story of which we sadly do not get a lot these days.
Raghav Jain
It is a brilliant screenplay which engulfs the apprehensions a teenager, a middle-aged man and a retired person feels and how all of them are caught in a similar storm. It is complimented by appreciable acting work by Josh Radnor and Elizabeth Olsen and in a small but noticeable role by Zac Efron as Nat the carefree guy.The dialogues in the movie are something you can quote or eventually find on Instagram or Tumblr in a black and white filter. The movie makes you reflect upon your own life and makes you think about how music and books affect you.All in all its a great film which you can watch for a good time and then re-watch for a different positive feeling.
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.
dilipkumarp09
I could relate to every possible moment in the movie. Great dialogs, great actors. One of those movies you would not mind watching again and again!35 year old guy falls for 19 year old girl, but feels it would be inappropriate to act on it. Cast are fantastic. It's a small movie and not overly eventful, but I really enjoyed it. This is the second of Josh Radnor's films I have seen, I have been really impressed. And also with Elizabeth Olsen as an actress. Worth a watch.Liberal Arts is a resolutely vanilla-flavored concoction but still pleasant, amiable, and a little more thoughtful than your average rom- com.
AD
