Liberal Arts

A New York City college entrance examiner named Jesse (writer/director Josh Radner) takes a break from his mindlessly boring big city job to go back to his preppy college where a beloved professor (Richard Jenkins) is celebrating his retirement. While he’s there, he meets a much younger girl with the unfortunate name of Zibby (Elizabeth Olsen) who really digs him and it scares the heck out of Jesse. She’s not only much younger and a virgin to boot (although she makes it clear that is one thing she’d like him to take care of), but is filled with a sparkling joie de vivre that terrifies him because it reminds Jesse of how his unfulfilled life has extinguished the spark in him. It sounds like a formulaic rom/com, but Radner’s script is a lot smarter – and more honest – than anything that genre has offered in years. His talent for pacing scenes is impressive, particularly in the way he lets each of the characters get plenty of room to develop in interesting ways. The actors all make the most of it, too, especially Olsen whose performance is both delicately layered and lovingly created.