Paul Rudd breaks out of his “straight man” role as the loveable Ned in this heart-felt comedy about a dude whom society deems as being careless and clueless, but who may actually offer a perspective we could all learn something from.
The film was a bit formulaic and vaguely familiar, tending to rely on sentiment more than clever quips or meaningful dialogue.
Ned is the typical nice guy goofball found in every comedy, but Paul Rudd brings us a character who is genuinely admirable. One could even go so far as to say — controversially — that Ned is a Christ-like figure because of his expressed unconditional love about everyone and everything, especially his canine friend Willie Nelson. It is this attitude that all of the foil characters deem to be “idiotic” before they learn their lesson in the end: Unconditional love is something we could all benefit from cultivating.
Ned seems to have no ability to be a properly functioning member in society, especially in contrast to his savvy sisters who each have their own world completely figured out.
Zooey Deschanel, playing a sexually explorative New York hipster is as charming as always, but at times frustrating. She along with her two sisters are so caught up in their own issues that they can’t take a moment to enjoy life or to love like Ned does.
However, Ned’s apparent trust in others takes a turn for the worse when he is tricked by a cop into selling him marijuana. Immediately the message is clear, that this film will be commenting on the relationship between a society that maybe doesn’t have all its priorities right, and a man who simply does not fit in with that society. Ned ends up losing his job at an organic farm, his girlfriend, his dog and his dignity.
Coming out of prison, he is thrown back into the world where his condescending sisters feign their support for their “idiot brother.” None of the sisters is as detestable as Elizabeth Banks, playing the spicy journalist Miranda. Ned’s other sister Liz, played by Emily Mortimer, is the submissive housewife of Steve Coogan’s brilliantly funny character, elaborately rude documentarian Dylan. Ned harbors little respect from this hilarious cast of actors who are all household names in the world of comedies.
Following the film’s formula, Ned goes from one sister’s house to the other, trying to get his life back together (saving enough money to live in the goat barn at his old organic farm).
Dylan dryly condescends happy-go-lucky Ned and his idiocy. Dylan is a serious documentarian who can’t even lend Ned a hand by offering him a crummy job on the set of his apparently important documentary about a Russian ballet star whom he coincidentally is sleeping with on the side.
Though Ned continues to show loveable affection, especially toward the older son of Miranda and Dylan, he manages to screw things up and he moves on to the next sister’s house where he will eventually screw something else up there, too.
Through the relationships with each of Ned’s sisters, Ned screws up and they in turn kick their stupid, idiot brother out to the next family member willing to deal with his incompetence. In the end, the idiot who we have come to believe is Ned ends up being instead the worker bees and work-savvy society dwellers who profess competence but are actually vulnerable and deep down are searching for the happiness that Ned has found because of how he lives his life with little care and lots of love for those around him.
For better or worse, it is a warm comedy that ends triumphantly and leaves the audience feeling emotionally satisfied. “Our Idiot Brother” could be a great date movie or light-hearted comedy to see alone or with friends. Definitely worth seeing this weekend.