Before becoming an independent filmmaker, Jesse Peretz was a founder of the alternative rock band The Lemonheads, whose biggest hit was a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's iconic "Mrs. Robinson." Peretz eventually directed two low-budget feature films along with numerous commercials and music videos. He landed his biggest gig in the critically reviled comedy The Ex with Zach Braff and Jason Bateman. Peretz has bounced back from that particular flop with the winning Our Idiot Brother, a frothy comedy that was co-written by his sister Evgenia Peretz and her husband David Schisgall. Our Idiot Brother premiered at Sundance where it was picked up by the Weinstein Company and released into theaters with little fanfare.
Paul Rudd stars as the titular idiot brother, a permanently baked fellow by the name of Ned who goes to prison for selling marijuana to a police officer at a farmer's market. Not an undercover cop, but one in full uniform, who claimed to just be having a rough time. However, Ned is only an idiot in the Dostoyevskian sense. He's not the brightest bulb, but he does possess an unwavering innocence, love, and trust for all those around him.
When Ned is released several months later, he finds his girlfriend, Janet (Kathryn Hahn), has already shacked up with a new man, Billy (TJ Miller), who is even more scatterbrained than Ned. She boots him off their biodynamic farm and refuses to relinquish his beloved golden retriever Willie Nelson. With nowhere else to go, Ned is shuffled between the homes of his three sisters. Liz (Emily Mortimer) is the oldest and married to a douchebag documentarian (Steve Coogan). Both are uptight yuppies who have rigidly planned their son's life in order to get him into a posh private school. Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) is a workaholic magazine writer desperately trying to score an elusive interview with an heiress turned tabloid fodder. The youngest sister is Natalie (Zooey Deschanel), a bohemian hipster in a lesbian relationship with Cindy (Rashida Jones), a lawyer. The Sapphic couple lives in an odd communal loft with other artsy fartsy types. Ned's freewheeling and unfiltered lifestyle winds up turning his sisters' lives upside down
Our Idiot Brother is a welcome change of pace from a summer filled with raunchy R-rated comedies. The film can't be considered a masterpiece and the plot is predictable with an unsurprising and schmaltzy ending. Of course, the sisters will eventually forgive their brother and realize the problem was with them, not him. Still, the journey is riddled with amusing moments and great performances from the all-star cast.
Paul Rudd ably carries the picture on his shoulders as a low-rent Lebowski. His Ned is charming enough to easily win the audience over. The actresses portraying his sisters all take to their roles even if they aren't required to do any heavy lifting. Mortimer, Banks, and (in particular) Deschanel are cast as characters similar to ones they've played in the past. Rashida Jones doesn't get nearly enough screen time. She looks stunning even when wardrobe is trying to butch her up with thick-rimmed glasses, a dress shirt and tie, and jean shorts. And for all you horndogs, yes, Rashida Jones and Zooey Deschanel do make out. Rudd has good chemistry with each actress, but his best scenes are the ones he shares with TJ Miller and Adam Scott, who co-stars as a neighbor and potential love interest to Miranda. Rudd and Miller seem to be in a stiff competition to see who can play the more brain-addled stoner. Meanwhile, Rudd and Scott bond over women troubles and a shared love of Dune ("Father…the sleeper has awakened.")
Our Idiot Brother is a lightweight film that's as breezy and easygoing as its lead protagonist. It isn't a memorable comedy, but it is a solid one with a terrific cast.
Rating: *** (*****)
No comments:
Post a Comment