Families come in all shapes and sizes. Maple Pictures sheds new light on a wacky clan in Our Idiot Brother now showing throughout North America in secondary cinemas before heading to video and dvd in the very near future. And like so many other month old releases this film can be seen on various pay television channels. What a perfect title to describe the zaniness that comes your way courtesy of Ned.
Free Loving Spirit Harkens Back to the Hippy Days with Paul Rudd Suitably Dim-Witted
Nice guy Paul Rudd (Knocked Up) saddles up to a perfect portrayal of a real goody two shoes that wouldn’t hurt a fly. Here’s a guy who takes everything and everyone at face value. Even authority figures have a field day duping this sad sack likeable loser. When one exchange goes particularly bad our free spirited hippy type hero (?) gets put in jail. Being the moron that he is Ned seems to like the experience and has an aw shucks attitude to all things no matter how bad they turn out to be. Once let out of prison Ned decides it’s time to start a new life so he gets back together with his sisters and mom. Well, sort of.
Little Family Dynamics Resonate Despite Three Strong Female Characters That Fizzle
It’s not easy to welcome someone back into your home and Ned encounters all sorts of problems when he reconnects with his three sisters who are totally different from him. Strong actresses Zooey Deschanel (Live Free or Die), Emily Mortimer and Elizabeth Banks (The Next Three Days) find it exceedingly difficult to accept the brother they once knew as he’s sort of a loose cannon. Each of their lives is rather calm and collected and has a certain order to it. Their own personal relationships and work loads get taken on a wild ride once Ned comes to town. Results are mixed blessings as you do feel for each of the “grieved” parties as they do their best to cope with a new houseguest. Welcome mats are supposed to be a temporary thing but Ned manages to get under the skin of all who cross his path. Sometimes the results are funny, other times they are sad.
Moments of sly frivolity mesh with touches of melancholy as Our Idiot Brother delivers some heartfelt moments. Do not expect wide open laughs of the Knocked Up or Anchorman variety as the humour here is a bit strained. Instead we have a more sophisticated high brow element of good-natured ribbing which concentrates more on flawed family relationships than out and out slam dunk gag-filled frivolity. This more adult approach to comedy may be a welcomed respite to the outlandish adolescent humour that so often populates most common comedies these days.
Ridiculous situations do unfold with good intentions, though. Even British import Steve Coogan (The Trip) gets into the act as an in-law of the family. Scars materialize in Our Idiot Brother which soapboxes some good points about being taken for granted and being taken advantage of in modern home situations. Issues of child-rearing and the corrections system are also tactfully employed here along with a fondness for animals.
For 90 minutes after a somewhat slow start, director Jesse Peretz (Fast Track) lets loose with a nice little comedy that’s odd in nature but has its heart in the right place.
Robert Waldman - Hi. I'm a film critic from Vancouver, British Columbia Canada, considered to be the number one city in the world and third largest film ...
