Our Idiot Brother

Our Idiot Brother casts Paul Rudd as Ned, an easygoing idealist who attempts to get his life back on track after a brief stint in jail – with the film primarily detailing Ned’s impact on the various folks in his life, including his three sisters (Elizabeth Banks’ Miranda, Zooey Deschanel’s Natalie, and Emily Mortimer’s Liz). It’s a low-key premise that’s employed to consistently entertaining and breezy effect by director Jesse Peretz, with the film’s irresistible opening sequence, in which Ned hilariously sells marijuana to a uniformed police officer, effectively setting the stage for a lighthearted comedy that benefits substantially from the ongoing efforts of its impressively eclectic cast. (There’s little doubt, however, that this is Rudd’s show through and through, as the actor delivers a consistently engaging performance that holds the whole thing together.) The almost episodic nature of the movie’s narrative often fares a lot better than one might’ve anticipated, with the continuing inclusion of irresistibly entertaining interludes (eg Ned assists Liz’s husband, Dylan (Steve Coogan), with his documentary, Ned poses nude for a struggling painter (Hugh Dancy’s Christian), etc, etc) certainly going a long way towards perpetuating the film’s affable atmosphere. And though there’s a palpable loss of momentum as Peretz begins emphasizing elements of an incongruously dramatic feel, Our Idiot Brother is, for the most part, a pervasively enjoyable piece of work that fares better than the majority of contemporary comedies.

*** out of ****