Directed by: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, and Emily Mortimer
Reviewer: Brett Gallman
Reviewer's Rating: ***½ (Three and a half Stars)
This is a movie clearly in love with its titular idiot, Ned (Paul Rudd), who actually isn’t an idiot at all. Instead, he’s a rather good-hearted screwball who finds himself bouncing between each of his three sisters, all of whom come with their own neurosis. Likewise, the film gently bounces through a series of humorous disasters caused by Ned’s well-intentioned, optimistic lifestyle--he trusts everyone (which lands him in jail twice) and is nobly honest, which is probably why he’s an agent of chaos in a world that doesn’t play by his rules. Taking on a bearded, hippie persona, Rudd is cherubic and disarming, and he deftly toes the line between being a victim of his own idealism and being pathetic. After he bears the brunt of several indignities, he lashes out in an emotional moment that’s completely earned and felt. I thought that moment captured the sort of graceful mix of poignancy and humor that the film as to offer, as it’s a quaint little bit of quirkiness tucked away at the end of the summer movie season.
The ensemble cast is similarly terrific, particularly the three sisters who are actually much more screwed-up than their idiot brother. Elizabeth Banks is a sort of shallow, career-minded journalist, while Zooey Deschanel is a bi-sexual sex fiend who jeopardizes her relationship with her girlfriend (Rashida Jones). Meanwhile, Emily Mortimer is stuck in a marriage with a possibly unfaithful spouse (Steve Coogan, who is the closest thing to a sleazebag this movie has to offer). Despite the heavy issues at play, the film never loses its lightness, as none of their behavior never feels darkly self-destructive; indeed, one can feel a predictable tidiness settling in during the film’s saccharine climax.
But that’s okay because the film also earns that, and it’s much too delightful to end any other way. Charming, witty, and well-performed, Our Idiot Brother is really mostly about a man in search of the simple things in life (such as the company of his dog) that everyone else has forgotten. That it takes someone like Ned to remind us of this probably says more about us than it does about him.
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