Liberal Arts

Liberal Arts is Elizabeth Olsen's fifth film, which premiered at Sundance 2012.

Plot Summary
When 30-something Jesse returns to his alma mater for a professor's retirement party, he falls for Zibby, a college student, and is faced with a powerful attraction that springs up between them.

Synopsis
Jesse Fisher (Radnor) is a 35-year-old college admissions officer in New York City who loves literature and language, but is newly single and dissatisfied with his life and career. He believes that the happiest time of his life was the years at his unnamed Ohio liberal arts college, where he could study uninterrupted, surrounded by others like him. Peter Hoberg (Jenkins), his former English professor, invites Jesse back to the college to attend Peter's retirement ceremony. Jesse meets 19-year-old Zibby (Olsen), a sophomore studying drama and the daughter of Peter's friends.

After the retirement dinner, Jesse stumbles upon a dorm party where he runs into Zibby. They agree to have coffee together the next day. He spends the afternoon with Zibby and they walk around the campus discussing life, books, and music. He also encounters his old romantics teacher, Judith Fairfield (Janney)—a woman he has long admired—and meets the eccentric Nat (Efron), and Dean (Magaro), a brilliant but depressed student who, like Jesse, always carries a book with him. Before Jesse leaves, Zibby asks to stay in touch; they become pen pals and become closer via handwritten letters. Meanwhile, Peter feels lost ahead of his upcoming retirement, and goes to the dean to ask to stay on. The dean replies that the faculty have already hired his replacement.

Zibby invites Jesse back to campus, hinting that she has feelings for him. Jesse has concerns about the 16-year age gap, but agrees. They spend time together and kiss. When Peter sees them together, however, he warns Jesse about living in the past. Zibby confesses her feelings to Jesse and asks him to sleep with her; he agrees, but changes his mind after she admits that she is a virgin. Zibby is insulted and hurt and asks him to leave. Jesse goes to a bar where he meets Fairfield again. They have a one-night stand, but afterwards she tells him to grow up and kicks him out. Meanwhile, Zibby goes to a party and kisses a classmate. Jesse leaves without seeing Zibby again, but says goodbye to Peter.

Jesse returns to New York and, some months later, writes to Zibby again. He apologizes for hurting her, says that he misses her and credits her for helping him to grow. He meets and starts dating Ana (Reaser), a bookseller his own age with a similar love for books. After Jesse helps avert Dean's suicide by overdose, he advises the young man to stop hiding from life within books. Jesse goes to see Zibby and apologizes to her again. She says that she had hoped to take a shortcut to adulthood through a relationship with Jesse, and that she understands that what he did was the right thing. Jesse goes back home and renews his correspondence with Zibby. The film ends with Zibby lying down reading Songs of Innocence and of Experience which she received via courier from Jesse, and Ana lying on Jesse's chest, them happily talking about growing old.

Cast

 * Josh Radnor as Jesse Fisher
 * Elizabeth Olsen as Zibby
 * Richard Jenkins as Professor Peter Hoberg
 * Allison Janney as Professor Judith Fairfield
 * Elizabeth Reaser as Ana
 * John Magaro as Dean
 * Kate Burton as Susan
 * Robert Desiderio as David
 * Zac Efron as Nat
 * Kristen Bush as Leslie
 * Ali Ahn as Vanessa
 * Ned Daunis as Eric
 * Gregg Edelman as Robert

Trivia

 * Filmed mostly at Josh Radnor's alma mater Kenyon College, a small liberal arts school located in Gambier, Ohio. Allison Janney was a student there.
 * The book that Jesse is reading on his way to the laundromat is "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy.
 * Although not mentioned by name, the fictional vampire book that sparks an argument between the two main characters is titled "Lunar Moon" and is not only based on "Twilight" but ts jacket cover is very similar to that of "Twilight" as well. Elizabeth Reaser, who plays Ana in this film, also plays Esme Cullen in the "Twilight" movies.
 * The Soundtrack uses classical music through a discussion after a class Zibby takes. The music used includes: Beethoven's Sixth symphony, 1st movement - Herbert von Karajan with Berliner Philharmoniker, Wagner - Overture to Tannhauser, Mozart - Cosi fan Tutte aria, Vivaldi - Guistino - Vedro con mio diletto, Monteverdi - 9th Book of Madrigals "Zefiro Torna".
 * There was a story line with Michael Weston as Miles, a friend of Jesse's who is trying to go to Spain but has several issues that keep him from going. All of his scenes were filmed but in the end not used in the movie. However, they are featured in the Bonus section of the DVD under Deleted Scenes.
 * Elizabeth Oslen's first movie not to be rated R.
 * In the film's opening scene Josh Radnor's character is shown reading "God of Small Things," whose plot also deals with the 'laws of love' - and what happens to those who break these rules - paralleling the characters of the film.
 * The book discussed in the coffee shop is David Foster Wallace's "The Infinite Jest." Josh Radnor's How I Met Your Mother (2005) co-star Jason Segel portrayed Wallace in the film The End of the Tour (2015).
 * Prologue: "He that increases knowledge increases sorrow. - Ecclesiastes 1: 18"
 * Jesse calls Zibby Elizabeth, Zibby is not the well known nickname for Elizabeth, but is one of the nicknames for Elizabeth.
 * The book Jesse discusses with Dean in the coffee house and hospital is David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest." Wallace committed suicide in 2008. Dean's situation also resembles the college experiences of Wallace, who was hospitalized for depression while trying to complete his senior thesis, a novel, at Amherst College.