The viewing experience of “Our Idiot Brother” can be likened to that of a sibling’s piano recital — the actual entertainment value of said performance (unless they mess up horribly, then let’s be honest, it’s awesome) isn’t up to par, but since you love them and they are family, you accept the situation and begrudgingly pay attention.
“Our Idiot Brother,” in a word, is lacking, but the likability of the cast elevates the quality from terrible to merely banal and uninspiring.
With such a terrific ensemble, it takes a certain type of talent to create a finished product so flavorless; like going to a five-star restaurant and dining on saltine crackers and water.
But the cast is not to blame. All responsibility falls on director Jesse Peretz’s shoulders, whose last and really only creation was the purely criminal “The Ex” (2006).
With “Our Idiot Brother,” Peretz was gifted with a cast most directors only dream of, and he seemingly decided the film would be better if they all suppressed their talent and performed in a muted, generic way.
It’s almost as if he told them: “All I need you to do is show up. Your names on the billboard will take care of the rest.”
As far as the plot goes, the film is about as predictable as a Stephen Garcia suspension, with each plot twist becoming obvious 30 minutes prior.
Ned (Paul Rudd) is an idiot, and not idiot like your friend on the weekends who drinks too much. His character lacks all social skills, but at times, almost by magic, they conveniently kick in, giving him a hint of insight. Then he goes right back to drooling on himself.
The film, with a little extra work, could have eliminated the two extremes, but in today’s Hollywood culture, laziness seems to always prevail in a screenwriters’ meeting.
Anyway, Ned has just been released from prison, and now, with no job or girlfriend, needs a place to stay. Luckily his family is there to support him and he stays with his three sisters Miranda (Elizabeth Banks), Natalie (Zooey Deschanel) and Liz (Emily Mortimer).
As time progresses, Ned’s “innocence” causes their lives to unravel due to the poor moral choices they have made, and Ned’s unique inability to distinguish what is socially appropriate to share with others. Oh, the hilarity.
The film boasts many lessons which are, naturally, poorly executed. Instead of being subtle, it becomes excruciatingly obvious that one’s family should be first and that lying is always bad.
However, the film is not completely terrible. In fact, the climax is surprisingly emotional and almost seems like it doesn’t belong in the film.
Rudd does his best with his poorly written character, and can at times be likable, but that is fleeting due to the fact that he can’t go one scene without doing something exaggeratedly moronic. It is almost tragic to witness.
Outside of a few dramatic scenes, most of the characters are more annoying than your actual family members, and they have very little depth — just attractive faces (which does ease the pain the dialogue inflicts).
The film is dull, the actors are bored and the only idiot will be you for buying a ticket.