“Our Idiot Brother” Review

Paul Rudd is known for being hilarious and hot but in his new film “Our Idiot Brother” he loses the hot persona to portray Ned, a totally lovable and well-meaning hippie who loses his home, girlfriend and dog when he is sent to jail for selling marijuana to a fully uniformed cop. After getting out of jail early for good behavior Ned goes from sister to sister to sister trying to find somewhere to stay. And somehow ruining each sister’s life.

Though the film has so far been advertised as a straight-forward comedy, it is at it’s heart a sentimental piece about family wrapped in a comedy outer-shell. Ned’s sisters include a failing stand-up comic lesbian, Nat (Zooey Deschanel), dating an ironic-looking Rashida Jones (“The Office”, “Parks and Rec.”), an uptight Vanity Fair writer, Miranda (Elizabeth Banks with a dreadful haircut), and a yuppie-granola helicopter mom, Liz (Emily Mortimer). While Rudd shines as the sweet, bearded hippie, Deschanel, Banks and Mortimer (and even Jones, who is given very little to deal with) stand on their own in scenes that lack Rudd as a defining character.

Because of the emphasis on family it isn’t much of a surprise to find out that the director (Jesse Peretz) and writer (Evgenia Peretz) are a brother and sister duo. Although the family centered film has been done a thousand times, “Our Idiot Brother” feels relatively fresh and completely honest. Normally I don’t go for sentimental or feel-good films, but Rudd plays Ned with such an utter vulnerability that it is hard not to root for him and get pulled into the story.

While the film doesn’t do anything especially intriguing or new, it has a good heart and the timeless message that family is everything. With a star cast of supporting actors and the wonderful Paul Rudd leading the team this movie is a perfect example of a sweet film that is great for a rainy day.