Our Idiot Brother

Much like its title character, Our Idiot Brother is bumbling, yet charming. Paul Rudd stars as Ned, a well-meaning dope who loses his home, his hippie girlfriend, his job on a farm, and his beloved golden retriever, Willie Nelson, after selling weed to a uniformed police officer. Rudderless, he wanders into the lives of his big-city sisters—Miranda the uptight journalist (Elizabeth Banks), Liz the overprotective New Age mom (Emily Mortimer), and Natalie the bohemian bisexual (Zooey Deschanel). As he crashes on their available beds (or inflatable rafts), his good intentions and unguarded honesty inevitably lead each sister to unwelcomed epiphanies—about unethical behavior, infidelity, and dishonesty—which they blame on their idiot brother. Yet Ned isn't dumb as much as he is endlessly optimistic, always expecting the best out of people whether they deserve it or not. It's this hopefulness that makes him deeply endearing, keeping this stoner-centric movie afloat despite its utter lack of flow and some half-baked performances. (Banks is sometimes shrill, and Deschanel seems to be in cruise control.) Still, Our Idiot Brother is ultimately a vibrant and hilarious comedy that has as much heart as its Winnie the Pooh-like hero.