Everyone loves Paul Rudd. The actor was a bit of a late bloomer: He broke out as the love interest in 1995’s “Clueless,” but didn’t become a real star until a decade later. But as a Judd Apatow regular in films such as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” he’s become a darling of comedy connoisseurs. So a comedy whose poster features Rudd’s smiling face — and only Rudd’s face — would look like a good bet.
Sadly, that’s not what you’ll find when you watch “Our Idiot Brother.” It’s not a bad movie, by any means. But it’s disappointingly mediocre, especially given the caliber of talent assembled here.
| On screen |
| ‘Our Idiot Brother’ |
| 2.5 out of 5 stars |
| Stars: Paul Rudd, Emily Mortimer, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel |
| Director: Jesse Peretz |
| Rated: R for sexual content including nudity, and for language throughout |
| Running time: 90 minutes |
Rudd is the title character, Ned, a happy-go-lucky guy who’s content selling his organic produce at the farmers market each week. But he’s too stupid to remain in his own little heaven. He lands in jail after selling some marijuana to a police officer — a uniformed police officer. Once he’s out, he finds his girlfriend has replaced him on the farm with an even more malleable man, while moving back in with his mother has its own complications. So he spends the rest of the film moving between the homes of his three sisters, Liz (Emily Mortimer), Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) and Natalie (Zooey Deschanel). As usual in the movies, these women are as different as could be: Liz is a stay-at-home mom with a pompous husband, who’s determined to raise a genius; Miranda is a single-minded career woman, except for a casual understanding with neighbor Jeremy (Adam Scott, the underrated player from “Parks and Recreation”); and Natalie happily lives with Cindy (Rashida Jones), until her lesbianism is tested.
Ned upends all their lives — but never with malice or even understanding. His real problem is not his lack of intelligence, but his lack of cynicism. He’s too trusting. He finds Liz’s husband naked in the company of a beautiful (and also naked) woman, but believes him when he says it’s to help his work. He believes Natalie when she says she’s confessed her affair to Cindy, and so congratulates Cindy on her ability to forgive.
You can see exactly where this is going: Ned’s naivete turns out to be the best thing this group of dysfunctional people has. Believing that other people are basically good can actually make them good: “I believe people will rise to the occasion,” Ned explains. It’s a sweet sentiment and an honorable, if sometimes dangerous, way to live one’s life. But it doesn’t make for much laugh-out-loud comedy, and it certainly doesn’t make for any surprises.
