Big Screen Peter: Our Idiot Brother

review by Peter Lewis

Every once in awhile, a movie will come along that doesn’t entirely blow you away, but does quite a bit to reassure you about the role of Hollywood in this world. A brief glimpse that, hey, sometimes they can get something right, balancing authenticity and mass appeal.

"Our Idiot Brother" tells the story of Ned, played by Paul Rudd. Good natured to a fault, Ned is a bit of a lost cause within his family of three sisters and a mother. Despite the best of intentions, the breaks of life continue to split the other way. Upon being released from jail for a minor drug charge and a major brain gaffe, Ned finds that his girlfriend has moved on and refuses to even let him have his dog back.  He strikes out for the city and the support system of his family so he can start to rebuild.

As one might expect, things don’t quite go according to plan, leading Ned and his family down a sobering path of self-assessment. Fortunately, the path is laden with great humor throughout. Of particular note is the pinpoint satire of the self-involved and misplaced worldview of hippies, excellently portrayed by Kathryn Hahn and T.J. Miller.

It’s from this ilk that much of Ned’s own conception of the world derives. Ned’s personal philosophy is one of heightened expectations. He wants to believe in humanity and thinks that by offering people a chance to prove their worth, they will, more often than not, rise to that challenge. It’s rose-colored glasses, sure. But in our own cynical, back-biting society, it’s the type of story that resonates. It makes us feel good about ourselves and our role in the world. That things are possible, that hope still remains.

Rudd excels in this role of charming rover. His brand of humor has always shied away from the forceful braggadocio of other comedic actors. Where they can be forceful or brash, he’s open and self-effacing. Rudd is versatile in ways that they can’t be, drawing unsuspecting audiences in on the jokes and paving a honest emotional connection as a result.

In fact, the depth and skill of the acting goes well beyond Rudd, Hahn and Miller. Ned’s entire extended family was comprised of capable and compelling stories. Steve Coogan is wonderful as the self-indulgent brother-in-law while Rashida Jones is equally superb in her role as the wise and caring girlfriend of Ned’s sister, Natalie (Zooey Deschanel).

But it is this band of three sisters, played by Emily Mortimer, Elizabeth Banks, and the parenthetically aforementioned Deschanel, that truly drive the plot beyond the goofily sweet construct of Ned. The sisters and their loaded lives give the story some much needed authenticity. This isn’t caused so much in the makeup of their assorted issues and problems, but in the mere fact that they have them. It creates an intrusive dynamic seldom seen in comedy films: reality.

Of course few cinematic constructs can resist the urge to bow tie endings and “Our Idiot Brother” is no different. The narrative begins to dovetail a bit too perfectly toward the sappy ending, as the despairs of the protagonists dissolve and the weight of the world drifts back toward the edges. With such an earnest and endearing main character, however, it’s hard to picture the ending any other way.

It’s not ground-breaking or life-changing, but it is a nice little movie.

• Our Idiot Brother is playing Malco Cinema 12 in Fort Smith. Link here for time and ticket info.

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