Review

Review Date: 28-August-11
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Just OK

Our Idiot Brother (2011)

Our Idiot Brother stars Paul Rudd as Ned, an easygoing neo-hippie whose kindness prompts him to sell marijuana to a policeman in apparent need of relaxation. After getting out of jail, Ned bounces between the homes of his mother and three sisters while figuring out what to do next. His only goal is reclaiming his beloved dog from an ex-girlfriend, which makes him an unlikely protagonist for a movie (how do we know when he has grown or succeeded so the story can end?). And yet his rare affability is a pleasure to watch. Ned's idiocy is more of the detached-from-established-reality kind than the low-IQ kind. He relates perfectly to kids, harbors no prejudice, always speaks honestly (without realizing when it's inappropriate), and sees the good in everyone even when it's not there. In one scene he meets a glamorous representative of European royalty and forges an immediate friendship. He may look like the kind of guy you can't take anywhere, but people respond to his friendly nature wherever he goes. Such is the power of ingenuousness, and Rudd sells it completely.

If only the other members of Ned's family were as interesting. In lieu of evolution for the main character, the movie uses the sisters' lives to drive the plot. Putting aside the tendency to screw up (which Ned and many other people share), it's hard to believe they're related. One sister (Emily Mortimer) is a fretful housewife with an inattentive husband; the second (Elizabeth Banks) is a bossy career woman; and the third (Zooey Deschanel) is a stand-up comedian struggling with the commitment of her first serious relationship. With his unconscious ability to get at the truth of things, Ned causes each to face up to something she was ignoring, thus precipitating a crisis in her life. Unfortunately, there's little incentive to care about whether any sister resolves her crisis since none possesses even half of Ned's likeability. Banks' harpy is particularly unwelcome in a light comedy. She tries to embroil Ned in a despicable act which the movie never addresses, preferring instead to conclude her story by hooking her up with the neighbor whom she has long been (mis)treating as a friend. One can imagine how frustrating Ned might be if he were really one's brother, but he's the only character who doesn't frustrate within the confines of this movie.

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