I have a cinematic rule. If Paul Rudd is in a movie, I try to see it. He generally makes me laugh out loud. His movies seem good hearted to me.
Our Idiot Brother did not disappoint. It is the story of Ned (Paul Rudd), who thinks the best of people. He is naive. He lacks social dscretion. When the movie begins, he is arrested for selling marijuana to a police officer. Ned truly believed that the officer was making a heartfelt request. He didn't even want any money for it. The officer, of course, insisted so that he could make the arrest. After Ned serves his time in jail, he discovers that his girlfriend has hooked up with someone else and plans to keep their dog, Willie Nelson. He finds himself at loose ends and having to live with various family members, his mother or one of his three sisters.
In a lot of ways, Ned reminded me of the Dude from The Big Lebowski. They share a physical resemblance and attitude towards life. There were times in Our Idiot Brother when my ability to suspend disbelief was strained. Ned's actions sometimes defied basic logic and I wondered if he had to be that completely clueless for this story. But then there are moments he has with his nephew, a boy that he seems to geuinely understand, where the movie shines.
Our Idiot Brother is full of noted comedic actors (Elizabeth Banks, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott among them), and there is a comfort level evident among them. It is one of those movies where the cast seemed to genuinely enjoy each other, even when the script called for them not to get along. It was one of those films that I would see again, just to laugh, just to watch Paul Rudd, an actor who seems engaged in every moment, do his work.
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