Our Idiot Brother

If you listen to Liz, Miranda and Natalie, their brother Ned (Paul Rudd) is an idiot. After spending three years living and working on an organic farm he gets arrested for selling marijuana directly to a uniformed cop. When he is released on parole his former girlfriend Janet (Kathryn Hahn) has replaced him with another emasculated male (T.J. Miller) and to add injury to insult she keeps his dog Willie Nelson. With no other place to go, Ned returns to his family and is passed around between his sisters as he subsequently destroys each one of their lives.

After leaving mom’s house (Shirley Knight) Ned first moves in with Liz (Emily Mortimer). She is a politically correct mother of two married to a documentary filmmaker (Steve Coogan). Liz is so overwhelmed at trying to be the prefect wife and mother that she hires Ned to help out with the kids, and he’s great at it. But when he makes an idiot mistake he is kicked out of the house and sent along to the next sister.

Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) is the career type. She is fighting to be taken seriously as a writer and has finally landed her first big interview. But once again Ned not only gets involved with her interview but with her relationship with the guy who lives upstairs (Adam Scott). Jeremy is her best friend and the only one who seems to put up with her bossy and pushy ways. Ned thinks that they should be together and this changes their whole dynamic.

The next sister to take Ned in is Natalie (Zooey Deschanel). She is an inspiring stand-up comic living with her lesbian girlfriend (Rashinda Jones). Their apartment is crowded with other artistic types and Ned fits right in. But Ned is so guileless that he screws up their relationship too. The problem with Ned is that he is open, honest and unguarded in his speech. He sees the best in everyone and he’s accepting too, even his promiscuous sister gets a pass. To the outside world, Ned is a little eccentric, maybe even flaky, but he is genial, friendly, kind and easy to talk to, qualities that his uptight sisters lack. Our Idiot Brother is a film about family and how it is hard to appreciate the people living under your own roof.

Paul Rudd is very likable as Ned and it doesn’t take long to realize that he’s not really an idiot, he has just chosen to live his life by a different set of standards. Growing up among a gaggle of pent-up, tightly-wound women and his decision begins to make sense. As the film unfolds you may identify with the sisters and maybe even understand their embarrassment at having someone like him around, but this film will have you questioning who has got it right and who is really the happiest. Our Idiot Brother is amusing, insightful and stars Paul Rudd. A good reason to see a movie in my book.

Rating: First Run Who is the idiot?