Idiot Savant ~ Movie Review of ‘Our Idiot Brother’

‘Our Idiot Brother’ should have done better at the box office than it did.  I suppose part of that might be because audiences don’t want to see a movie that feels, from the advertising, to be about a character who flubs everything because he is…well, an idiot.  Paul Rudd plays Ned who knowingly sells a uniformed police officer pot, he isn’t an idiot at all as much as a nice guy willing to take people at face value.

 

                To be honest, I didn’t want to see this film because I was under the impression that Rudd’s Ned was going to be the before mentioned goof ball however the current choices of films in the theater are slim so when life gives you lemons see a film comedy.  I was pleasantly surprised to find ‘Idiot’ to be a gentle comedy with a lot of good observations and more than its share of laughs.  Granted, Ned doesn’t really come into his own until he is reunited with this family after being released from prison (for good behavior) and finding that his girlfriend has moved on with another dude.  He doesn’t mourn the loss of his relationship as much as the loss of his dog ironically named ‘Willie Nelson’.       

 

             During what seems like a weekly family dinner we are introduced to his mother and three sisters.  One sister (Emily Moritmer) is married to a man who is obviously an asshole.  She is a bit on the homely side, but that might be because of a baby and young son.   Another sister (Elizabeth Banks) is a professional writer and is currently unattached.  The third sister (Zooey Deschanel) is in a relationship with a woman (Rashida Jones who sports the knee length walking shorts to perfection) although she swings both ways.  As it turns out all three sisters have secrets and problems they are ignoring.  Although none of them want to be saddled with a brother who is stupid enough to sell dope to a uniformed officer, they each in their own way need him to steer them in the right direction. 

 

            ‘Our Idiot Brother’ might not be a ground breaking film as say ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’ (another movie Rudd starred in) but it is fun.  In the end it is a good film to see if you are feeling a bit blue and want to escape some of the other offerings currently showing at your local Cineplex.  I think it would make for a good date night movie along with a film to see with friends.  It would also play well as a DVD I believe.  Overall, if the title character is typical of the idiots then I say we need more idiots in the world.

 

Westerfield © 2011