Rating:  

Starring: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Rashida Jones, Steve Coogan, Kathryn Hahn, T.J. Miller, Adam Scott, Shirley Knight, Matthew Mindler, Bob Stephenson, Hugh Dancy, Janet Montgomery, Lydia Haug, Polly Draper.
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Director: Jesse Peretz
Rating: R
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Release Date: August 26, 2011
Home Video Release Date: TBD
Box Office: $24.5 Million
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Big Beach Films, Likely Story, Yuk Film, and The Weinstein Company.

Written by: Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall.

Kind-hearted and containing all the anger of a puppy dog, Ned is a biodynamic farmer, who earns his dollars by selling his fruits and vegetables at a community Farmer’s Market. One afternoon, Ned finds himself shuttled off to jail when he agrees to accept money for some marijuana he passed over to a desperate police officer.

Ned, however, is not really a buffoon, just a late-30′s/early 40′s manchild – sensitive, a bit too trusting and gullible. In some ways, Ned, played terrifically by Paul Rudd, is an endearing guy you might want to hang with. And yet despite his sweet nature and good intentions, his imprisonment and eventual early release for (naturally) good behavior, creates a rippling disruption in the lives of everyone around him. Efforts to reconnect with his mother and three sisters brings forth a dizzying world of change and consequence into the lives of everyone Ned cares about.

Ned’s returning home after 8 months also creates problems for Ned’s girlfriend, Janet (Kathryn Hahn), who has since moved on from Ned and has a new boyfriend, Billy (T.J. Miller). While Ned is hurt, he is accepting, but desperately wants possession of his beloved dog, Willie Nelson, who Janet refuses to give back to him. Janet has no interest in rekindling any relationship with Ned and although Billy seems friendly towards Ned, he nonetheless helps move Ned off the farm and dumps him off in the nearest town.

Eventually we meet Miranda, Natalie, and Liz, Ned’s sisters who all have, on the surface, seemingly stable lives. Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) is a Vanity Fair interviewer and writer who just landed a lucrative first piece on a wealthy international socialite (Janet Montgomery) who is willing to offer Miranda her first interview after a provocative scandal tarnishes her name. Liz (Emily Mortimer) is married to Dylan, with two young children, and Dylan works as a documentarian shooting a film about a local ballet performer, which occupies a great deal of his time. Lastly, Natalie (Zooey Deschanel) is a local singer/songwriter who tries to interweave comedy with music, often playing for only friends and colleagues of her or her partner, Cindy (Rashida Jones). With nowhere to live, Ned agrees to assist Dylan with his film and, in turn, pay room and board at a discount rate. A series of events lead to Ned overstaying his welcome with each sister and through these encounters, Ned starts seeing cracks in the ideal lives he thought his siblings shared.

“Our Idiot Brother” may present as a slapstick, ribald comedy, and in fact it does easily earn that R-rating for some of its content. However to brand it as merely that does the film a disservice because surprisingly, the film has heart and an endearing message about acceptance, the necessity of family, and tolerance of differences. Always watchable and entertaining, the screenplay by Evgenia Peretz (director Jesse Peretz’ sister) and David Schisgall has its heart smack dab in the right place, despite some fairly notable gaffes along the way.

If anything, the film is guilty of trying to do too much and suffers from a bit of an imbalance. Peretz and Schisgall have malnourished some of the sisters’ subplots from growing into fully realized situations that we can relate to and gather behind. One particular storyline involving Zooey Deschanel’s Natalie and Rashida Jones’ Cindy is maddening at how paint-by-numbers it seems to be. Once the principal elements are involved and another supporting character becomes intertwined with the couple, the film struggles to maintain its proper and hazy pacing. Melodrama lurches in alongside lighter and more engaging moments and unfortunately, the shifts in tone are as frustrating as they are watchable.

Paul Rudd is the story here though, delightful as Ned, who truthfully thinks and believes in the best of people even when they are not making sound decisions or at their best with him. Supporting turns from Banks, Deschanel, Steve Coogan, and Emily Mortimer are nice compliments to Rudd’s performance and when a film induces as many chuckles and smiles as “Our Idiot Brother” does, it is hard not to sit back and just enjoy the show.

Should I See It?

YES

Paul Rudd is a terrific actor – comedic and otherwise and here, he has a platform for reminding us how he is blessed with a quick wit and impeccable sense of timing.

There are lots of laughs here but also some heartfelt odes to deeper issues that might surprise viewers.

Love that dog…Willie Nelson. Love him.

NO

When the film sputters it veers off into TV dramedy moments and when although some of the dramatic arcs and angles play fine, subplots are rushed through a bit haphazardly.

I suppose with its independent sensibilities and folksy screenplay, some will wonder what the point of all of this is. Others might feel that the more outlandish humor does not fit well alongside the more down-to-earth elements of the story. Essentially, the dramedy approach may not work for those wanting a lot more goofy, ridiculous Ferrell-esque comedy.