The Best and the Brightest (2010)

26% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
30% of users liked it
(748 ratings)

Set in the world of New York City's elite private kindergartens, The Best and the Brightest centers on a fresh-faced young couple from Delaware, Jeff and Samantha, who have only recently moved into town, and the extreme lengths they must go to in order to get their five-yearold daughter into school.… More Set in the world of New York City's elite private kindergartens, The Best and the Brightest centers on a fresh-faced young couple from Delaware, Jeff and Samantha, who have only recently moved into town, and the extreme lengths they must go to in order to get their five-yearold daughter into school. Every private school in the city informs Sam that she's simply too late to apply for a kindergarten spot this fall. But Sam will not be denied. The only way Sue is able to arrange it is by telling the headmistress a critical lie: that Jeff is a renowned poet. Keeping this ridiculous lie aloft is the main action of the movie, as Sam and Jeff are forced to prove their poetic bona fides not only to the school's headmistress but to the entire school board. -- (C) Official Site

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 33 min.
Directed By: Josh Shelov
Written By: Josh Shelov, Michael Jaeger
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 24, 2011 Wide
On DVD: Aug 16, 2011
Studio: PMK*BNC

Critic Reviews

John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter
Absurd premise and weak script doom this comedy about haute-preschool angst.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Josh Shelov's smug and smutty farce employs an estimable cast in an only sporadically funny story...
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
Far too many sitcom shenanigans crop up like clockwork...
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
A repellent comedy that's less fun than a parasite infection...
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
Flies off its comic rails after an engaging start, never to land back on solid ground.
Rex Reed, New York Observer
The Best and the Brightest should be called The Worst and the Dumbest.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...it's finally impossible to label The Best and the Brightest as anything more than a sporadically amusing misfire.
Brent Simon, Shared Darkness
A slim pan. While there's a certain novelty of setting and a lot of its dialogue pops, the movie's chief problem is the fact that it doesn't seem to wholly embrace the arguably detestable nature of its characters.
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
A politically incorrect farce that's increasingly preposterous and inane yet nonetheless hilarious, zany and bold. Amy Sedaris has never been funnier.
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald
The Best and the Brightest is amusing at times but never more than a modest diversion, lacking the cleverness and imagination required to turn it into more than a one-joke movie.
Scott Tobias, AV Club
What begins as a skewering of big-city elitism at its most absurd and nonsensical turns out to be a permanent detour down an extremely narrow tributary, as one good joke slowly gets the life squeezed out of it.
Michelle Orange, Movieline
A farce that can't quite find its comic register.
Marshall Fine, Hollywood & Fine
This is a positive review for a mediocre movie with outstanding performances. The Best and the Brightest doesn't describe this movie - only its cast.
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
Dimly plays out like a waking daymare Alexander Payne thought up while sitting disinterestedly through last fall's disinteresting Waiting for Superman.
Nick Schager, Time Out New York
A sturdy bit of subculture-tweaking silliness.
John P. McCarthy, Boxoffice Magazine
Strictly bush league, save for a few bravura performances.
Erik Childress, eFilmCritic.com
It may dawn on you that the film really only has one, big joke up its sleeve, but like The Aristocrats it finds so many great ways to tell it that the punchline rarely matters.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

♥˩ƳИИ &

Cast: Neil Patrick Harris, Bonnie Somerville, Amy Sedaris, Peter Serafinowicz, Christopher McDonald, Kate Mulgrew, Kelly Coffield, Steve Park, Jenna Stern, Bridget Regan, John Hodgman Director: Josh Shelov Summary: New arrivals Jeff and Samantha are determined to get their… More
Cast: Neil Patrick Harris, Bonnie Somerville, Amy Sedaris, Peter Serafinowicz, Christopher McDonald, Kate Mulgrew, Kelly Coffield, Steve Park, Jenna Stern, Bridget Regan, John Hodgman Director: Josh Shelov Summary: New arrivals Jeff and Samantha are determined to get their 5-year-old daughter into New York City's most elite private kindergarten. But there's only one opening left, and the couple is about to find out just how cutthroat the competition is. My Thoughts: "A funny, raunchy, dark comedy. Peter Serafinowicz was probably the raunchiest and funniest one for me. I just think that kind of vulgar behavior is funny. Maybe there is something horribly wrong with me, but then again maybe not. Neil Patrick is always great in these types of roles. Bonnie Somerville held her own as well. It was a great cast for what the film is. The whole story is quite unimaginable which makes it that much better. The fact that these people actually see beauty or pure talent in these explicit writings is unfathomable to me. But it's a lot of fun watching it. Great little comedy that I'm glad I didn't pass on."
Christopher H

At this point in Neil Patrick Harris' career, he could sell just about any film. The problem with The Best and The Brightest is that it under-utilized him. The situation that Jeff and Samantha endure while attempting to get their child into school after a big move is so… More
At this point in Neil Patrick Harris' career, he could sell just about any film. The problem with The Best and The Brightest is that it under-utilized him. The situation that Jeff and Samantha endure while attempting to get their child into school after a big move is so far-fetched that it becomes impossible to enjoy. Though I believe people can be duped, this film comes off like one of those poorly produced National Lampoon or American Pie spin-offs. However, the dead-pan performances from NPH and new-comer Peter Serafinowicz make the film much more than it is.

Cast

            Neil Patrick Harris as Jeff

            Amelia Talbot as Beatrice

            Bonnie Somerville as Sam

            Nina Hodoruk as Upper East Side Mom

            Michael Elian as Middle Eastern Bag Dealer

            Suzanne Savoy as Chapin Headmistress

            Jennie Grace as Altoids Mom

            Cornelia Guest as Spence Mom

            Brea Bee as Grace Church Mom

            Jenna Stern as Katherine Heilmann

            Kelly Coffield Park as Cindy Tanaka-Blumstein

            Jos Laniado as Luis the Super

            Juliette Dunn as P.S. 184 Tour Guide

            Sadiq Afif as P.S. 184 Boy

            Jordan Johnston as P.S. 184 Boy

            Ralphie May as P.S. 184 Security Guard

            Tim Johnson as Kid Harassing Security Guard

            Ellis Walding as P.S. 184 Cop

            Amy Sedaris as Sue Lemon

            Maria Armesto as Conseula

            Peter Serafinowicz as Clark

            Christopher McDonald as The Player

            Mets Suber as Abraham

            Kate Mulgrew as Player's Wife

            John Hodgman as Henry

            Stephen Park as George Tanaka-Blumstein

            Jalen Hoang as Yoshi

            Amanda Phillipson as Lucinda

            Nina Lisandrello as Bianca

            Bridget Regan as Robin

            Emily Tremaine as Mica

            Richard Schiffrin as Corrupt Nassau County Lobbyist

            Urs Hirschbiegel as Man At Podium

            Kelly Coffield
            
            Steve Park
            
See full cast