like a viable romantic option. When the infectiously charming Zibby suggests she'd like a gentleman caller instead of her immature peers, Jesse is sent into a tailspin; the joke about doing the maths on the age difference is an obvious one, but is no less amusing. Radnor's wry script is thoughtfully a multigenerational one, with Jenkins shining as the lecturer not ready to move on, John Magaro making for a depressed intellectual you don't want to slap some sense into, and Allison Janney's scene-stealing intimidating Romantics lecturer (Jesse's favourite teacher, and her appearance is enough to turn him into a babbling wreck). There's also a fabulous cameo from Zac Efron as the oddball hippy who looks like a clichd figment of Jesse's imagination, but is actually just the non-intellectualising wake-up call he needs. Liberal Arts is carried by the wonderful chemistry between Radnor and Olsen. The sparky latter proves Martha Marcy May Marlene was no one-off, and she displays an immense amount of warmth and vulnerability as the teenager who feels older than her years. Radnor's film reminds of a more subtle, less conscious Woody Allen. It gently pokes fun at those who judge others by their tastes in the arts and strikes the balance between irony and affection. A shame the rushed conclusion seems pat and therefore false.