Our Idiot Brother

This film tells how a man who is so kind and honest that he manages to mess everyone's life up, including his own.

Ned is a young man with three sisters, and he goes to jail because he gave marijuana to a policeman who asks for it. He might appear very stupid to people, and indeed he is portrayed to be an idiot. However, it does beg the question whether an honest existence and a simplistic life is an undesirable or even a wrong life. I also had the thought that Ned in fact is living happily, unlike his three sisters who think he is stupid. The ending is a sweet and touching one, even though it is rather poorly developed and it feels like a very sudden paradigm shift for the characters involved. Overall, "Our Idiot Brother" is quite enjoyable as it is funny throughout, and is touching in the end.

Jesse Peretz's 'Our Idiot Brother' is a decent watch, but what stands tall in this film, is, without a shed of doubt, Paul Rudd's lovable performance in the central role. The actor has never been so convincing before!

'Our Idiot Brother' tells the story of an idealistic man who intrudes and wreaks havoc in each of his three sisters' lives.

The film begins well, dips in the middle, but luckily, culminates properly. As said, it's a decent watch, that never really bores or loses it's pace. Evgenia Peretz & David Schisgall's Screenplay is good, but it could've been better, especially post 40-minutes. Jesse Peretz Directs this comedy-drama, ably. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are fair.

Performance-Wise: Paul Rudd delivers his careers most lovable/convincing performance in here. He literally owns the film. As his sisters, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer & Zooey Deschanel, are first-rate. Kathryn Hahn is perfect. Rashida Jones is passable. Steve Coogan is as usual. Others lend support.

On the whole, 'Our Idiot Brother' is a time-pass fare. A must watch for Rudd fanatics.

A hilarious movie written for Paul Rudd: what more could we want?

Rudd plays Ned, a stoner who has frizzled his neurons to the point that he has lost any ability to detect or dish out B.S. The poster child for what it means to be ingenuous, Ned is a trusting, playful, adorable stray puppy who isn't quite housebroken. So you-know-what hits the fan when his three sisters serially take him in after his release from jail. He's nothing but tsuris. It's no wonder that his most enduring relationship is with his dog, Willie Nelson.

Thanks to Rudd's everyman persona and the genial obliviousness he brings to Ned, you can't help but feel empathy. As with a suspense film where the audience knows what's going to happen but the characters are still in the dark, you want to yell out to warn Ned before he screws up again. His perfect comic timing and the made-to-order script make sure you get the most laughs from his predicament. Luckily, there's more to him than just bad luck. He's also an endearing white angel on the shoulders of his sisters, helping them fight their devils as he becomes an unwitting catalyst for change.

The movie's impressively talented and good-looking cast includes Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, and Elizabeth Banks (looking a lot like Parker Posey) as sisters. What's more, Rashinda Jones and Hugh Dancy add to the already high eye-candy quotient. Steve Coogan plays Ned's deliciously distasteful brother-in-law in his inimitable unpleasant-guy way.

The film is smartly directed by Jesse Peretz from a story he developed with his sister, Evgenia Peretz. I saw this at the Sundance screening in Brookline, Massachusetts, where director Peretz said they wrote it for Rudd, whom he clearly enjoys working with, and who wouldn't? Even though they stuck to the script, Rudd improvised at least two of the movie's funniest bits.

A fun ride throughout, the film only has a couple of weak spots. One scene has Ned comfortably telling a white lie, something so out of character it was jolting to the point of distraction. The ending could use some reshaping, and perhaps it might get some before general release. But even as is, this movie is about as charming and hilarious as Rudd can be, which is quite sizable.

I will admit that my hopes were quite high for this flick. No pun intended. Like most, Paul Rudd is a favorite comedic actor of mine. As I expected, he did a splendid job with this flick. The supporting cast also seemed to be quite good. Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, and Zooey Deschanel played the three sisters of Rudd's character. Hence the title of the movie.

The story starts out with one idiotic move by Ned, portrayed by Paul Rudd. Ned is a biodynamic farmer and happens to be selling his crops at a local market. A police officer approaches him and asks for some "green." After Ned insists that he takes the marijuana for free, he is arrested.

The character development in this movie was probably my favorite part. Although frustrating at times, all the characters had that little something about them that was genuine and unique. In addition to learning a lot about Ned (like how he doesn't cheat or lie and trusts others too much), we also witness quite a bit from his sisters too. I really think if we saw the sisters together more often, then I'd laugh a bit more. Although Our Idiot Brother was funny at times, it wasn't the comedy film I was hoping for. I really thought that I'd be laughing more. Perhaps another viewing at another time will perspire such laughter, but I digress.

As alluded to earlier, Ned has three sisters. Miranda (Elizabeth Banks), Liz (Emily Mortimer), and Natalie (Zoeey Deschanel). After he's out of jail, Ned tries to live with his mom (Shirley Knight), but that doesn't work out so he looks to his three sisters.

From there the plot begins to unfold. It's hard to discuss it without giving away spoilers. You'll just have to see for yourself.

Also, Adam Scott, Steve Coogan, and Rashida Jones all have an active role in the film. Very fun.

It's also worth noting that part of the filming took place at the historic Hotel Chelsea. I've only been to New York City once and that's the place I stayed. This film really gave me the urge to want to be back in NYC!

Although not the movie that I wanted, it was pleasantly likable and worth a watch.

7/10 Stars.

Our Idiot Brother is probably the most harmless movie to come out this year, a very light and entertaining piece with a remarkably warm heart. At first I was frustrated by how thinly written the supporting characters were and how the sisters are some of the worst people put on film, but ultimately it's a necessary evil to get the film where it needs to go. It's a nice little study on the cynicism and selfishness of today's culture and how someone with a good heart and a sunny disposition just gets taken advantage of and abused for being decent.

There are a lot of funny moments throughout, most of them coming from Paul Rudd who plays a unique character for him (the rest of the actors were cast exactly in their wheelhouse) and is really just charming and kind the whole time. You really believe him in this role and Ned could have come off as too dim or annoyingly sweet, but Rudd makes him so likable and I just wanted to give him a big hug and hang out with him the whole time. Sure, there are plenty of flaws with how the characters were written, but in the end that's insignificant and just not what the film is about. It's an easy and touching film that sheds a light on how awful the majority has become, just like it's main character. Such a relaxed and easy viewing.