FILM & VIDEO

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 (Neil Patrick Harris) and Samantha (Bonnie Somerville), who have only recently moved into town.

The comedy centers on the extreme lengths they must go to in order to get their five-yearold daughter into school. When the obstacles in this high-stakes world become apparent, Jeff tells Sam that he’d rather just throw in the towel and move back home. But Sam harbors a strong ambitious streak. Deep down she yearns for something more than her small-town provincial life. She wants to take one last shot at her dream of a life among the best and brightest. Like Dustin Hoffman’s character in TOOTSIE, Sam’s stubborn determination is the engine of the movie.

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. She begs Jeff to hire a “consultant” to find a crack in the system. The oddball consultant Sue Lemon (Amy Sedaris) does precisely that, and Sam and Jeff are granted a rare interview at the posh Coventry Day School.