Film: Our Idiot Brother

GENRE: Comedy/Drama
RATING: R for sexual content, nudity & language
RUNTIME: 1 hours and 30 minutes
STARRING: Paul Rudd (I Love You, Man, Anchorman) Elizabeth Banks (Role Models), Zooey Deschanel (Yes Man, Elf)
DIRECTOR: Jesse Peretz (Important Things with Demetri Martin)
WRITERS: David Schisgall & Evgenia Peretz (newcomers)
PLOT: A hippie idealist is released from jail and severely alters the lives of his three sisters.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 Paul Rudd delivers! He does such a great job of being laidback and appreciative of life that you can’t help but instantly like the guy. He’s definitely hippie-ish in his dress and demeanor but I never felt like he was merely a caricature; Rudd portrays Ned as a fully fleshed out character. Great job!
2 The other two characters you root for in this film are those that share Ned’s ideals. Adam Scott (Party Down, Parks & Recreation) is pretty fun as Jeremy, the downstairs neighbor who has a thing for Ned’s sister. His moving scene is priceless. Ned’s girlfriend has found a replacement in Billy, a loveable dude who just wants to live peacefully. He is wonderfully portrayed by TJ Miller (Cloverfield) who steals a lot of the scenes he’s in. His candle-making comments are hilarious.
3 What’s cool about this indie comedy, which I would compare to Little Miss Sunshine, is that they don’t make Ned into an imbecile who does juvenile things. You can always tell that his heart is in the right place. He’s all about trusting others and unconditional love. It’s rare to see that quality in the protagonist of the story. In fact, Rudd’s character doesn’t change much throughout the film. He is merely a catalyst for the upheaval in his sisters’ lives.
4 The three sisters do a wonderful job of being selfish and blaming Ned for all their problems. The one rare scene without Rudd involves the sisters judging each other’s looks and habits. It’s a fun scene.
5 In that same scene, Emily Mortimer (Shutter Island) has a baby bundled up close to her. The bundle looked very fake and was a bit distracting. They probably saved a few bucks by just putting a doll in there. Oh well.

RECOMMENDATION: Watch the DVD
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Contagion, Fall Movies, Fall Television