Paul Rudd adds another goof to his resume of likable leads as he stars in Our Idiot Brother. I’d consider this one of his more dramatic roles that holds more emotional weight than any of his others. Overall Our Idiot Brother has a very charming and talented cast and while it succeeds as a comedic drama, it doesn’t meet the expectations I had hoped.
Ned (Rudd) is a laid back, kind-hearted, goof who sells marijuana to a police officer who’s incarcerated for his good intentions. When he’s released from jail, he has to give up his old home, girlfriend, and dog and must resort to living with his three sisters (Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, and Elizabeth Banks) and their seemingly perfect lives. He slowly turns their worlds upside down and is kicked out one-by-one.
You're all beautiful.
The story is straightforward and fairly linear as we jump from sister to sister. First we start with his uptight sister Liz (Mortimer) and her deliciously abrasive husband (Steve Coogan). Ned tries to open up their son’s mind and subsequently gets kicked out for his good intention. Then he moves in with his job-stressed sister, Miranda (Banks), where she takes advantage of his charm to get ahead in her job. He gets kicked after accidently betraying her and has to movie in with her free spirited lesbian sister, Natalie (Deschanel). When she gets caught cheating by Ned and confides in him that she has become pregnant, he accidently congratulates her partner (Rashida Jones) for her pregnancy, which leads them to consequently break up and he gets kicked out.
The cast is as charming as ever, and each of the parts played fits well with the characters they portray. But the starring lead holds the most characterization. The emotional burden Rudd’s Ned carries is played out through his talks with his parole officer as he’s constantly criticized for only having the best intentions. When he’s pushed beyond the limit, Ned’s outburst is fairly emotionally satisfying, but not exactly what I expected or wanted. I expected something more redeeming or satisfying, but movie just levels off, fairly truncated, with not as much closure as I was hoping.
Dress her up like a man all you want, Rashida Jones is still absolutely beautiful
In terms of comedy, this movie has a couple of good lines, mostly by Rudd himself. But there isn’t enough comedy in its other characters to really keep things interesting or compelling. The story itself is fairly predictable and bland, with its most interesting moments headed by Rudd. I have difficulty finding words that support or criticize this movie because in truth, it’s not very good nor is it very bad. I found it easy to watch, but also easy to forget. This being said, Our Idiot Brother is a watchable movie, but I expected more because of its talented cast and promising premise.
3/5 Stars
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