I didn’t like Our Idiot Brother. Maybe it was because I was expecting something totally different — no — it’s because I wanted something totally different.
Therein lies the problem. Based on the title, trailers, TV spots and even the poster, we are led to believe that this is some sort of absurd, Billy Madison-esque movie about a dysfunctional family with an idiot brother (that would be Paul Rudd‘s character Ned) at the epicenter. Instead it’s an indie movie prancing around in Hollywood clothing…and it’s about a dysfunctional family with an idiot brother at the epicenter.
In the movie Ned, a hippy Croc-wearing locavore, gets busted for selling weed to a cop. After spending time in the clink, he goes back home to find that his dreadlocked hippy farmer girlfriend (played with wonderful bitchy laid back aggression by Kathryn Hahn) has replaced him with the dim-witted Terry (T.J. Miller). He turns to his family and they open their doors to him, but his good intentions and kind-hearted idiocy make their problems even worse.
The sisters of his family fulfill the archetypes of adulthood benchmarks. Natalie (Zooey Deschanel) is a progressive young, Williamsburg hipster stand-up comedian who is in a relationship with Cindy (Rashida Jones) struggling with her own identity. Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) is a high-strung, hard-working journalist who is desperately trying to impress her bosses at Vanity Fair. Liz (Emily Mortimer) is a wife/mother trying to work out the kinks in her marriage to Dylan (Steve Coogan) a documentary filmmaker who is half jerk and half asshole. They pass Ned around like an organically farmed hot potato and, even though the consequences aren’t ideal for them, he forces them to deal with their problems which doesn’t really make Ned the idiot.
There are some laughable moments during the movie — one of the best being Ned and Miranda’s love interest Jeremy (Adam Scott) sitting in a coffee shop doing commentary on the women surrounding them. Other than that, the humor is parched and dry with no outlandish absurdity as expected. There’s a clever subdued pulse of comedy that isn’t showcased in the marketing for the movie. The biggest draw for the movie is the cast — which is quite amazing.
The roster of great actors is a magnet for moviegoers, but the tone suggests that the movie should be more art-house friendly with actors like Chloe Sevigny, Greta Gerwig, Demetri Martin (who actually worked with director Jesse Peretz), and/or “up and coming” actors who are worshipped by kids who wear Wayfarers indoors, porkpie hats and ride fixed gear bikes.
Bottom line is that the main players in the movie are too big for the shoes of the characters. They are big stars and they do a commendable job and it works against them. They aren’t cool enough to fit this tone. This movie has a slight case of Valentine’s Day Syndrome: too many stars can be blinding. It needed to be a lot more hipster-friendly. By that I mean the budget needed to be reduced significantly and it needed to be less commercialized for me to like it more.
Our Idiot Brother opens in theaters Friday.
- Excited
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
