Our Idiot Brother: "Our Idiot Brother Just Ruined My Freaking Life"

Director: Jesse Peretz
Writer:    Evgenia Peretz
               David Schisgall
Starring:  Paul Rudd
               Elizabeth Banks
               Zooey Deschanel
               Emily Mortimer
               Kathryn Hahn
               Rashida Jones
               Steve Coogan
               Adam Scott
               Matthew Mindler
               Shirley Knight
Rating:     ****

A gentle, sweet and funny film about an idealistic man, and his busy, hardworking sisters.

Ned (Rudd) is a Biodynamic farmer living with his girlfriend Janet (Hahn), and to pay the bills he sells fruit and vegetables at a local market. The film opens with him at his stool, and when he sells drugs to a uniformed officer, he gets arrested, and they set up the fact he is a bit of an idiot. Months later he is released early for good behavior, and with nowhere to live, he goes back home to his mum (Knight) and three sisters, Liz, Miranda and Nat (Mortimer, Banks & Deshanel).

Liz is married to documentary maker Dylan (Coogan) and together they have a little boy, River (Mindler), and a baby girl, Echo. Liz has gone from the hot older sister to a frumpy housewife, with a husband who's less than faithful. Miranda is a tightly wound journalist for Vanity fair, she is trying to get her first major article published and in her eyes Ned is getting in the way and messing everything up for her. When he tries to set her up with her neighbour, Jeremy (Scott), things don't go to plan and to top it off he ends up, accidentally, losing her her job. Finally, Nat, who is the youngest sister and has recently discovered she is a lesbian and has settled down with Cindy (Jones). She isn't the biggest fan of the whole settling down, and after a one night stand gets pregnant, and ends up confiding in Ned. This of course turns out to be a mistake and her relationship is soon pushed to the edge. In the end, and after allot of soul searching, the threes sisters realise that in fact Ned just wanted to help and be a family again. So the girls head off to his ex-girlfriend's house to get Ned's best friend and dog, Willie Nelson, back, bringing the family together again.

It isn't loud, it isn't rude and it isn't crass, but that doesn't it form being one of nicest films and comedies of the year. The script is just as funny as it is wholesome and heartwarming, and Rudd really excels in this type of role. Each cast member does a superb job, and really bounce off each other well. They perform the script with ease, and each character is relatable and will remind you of someone in your life. Paul Rudd does a superb job at carrying the film along, and remains likable and funny throughout. It hasn't received a release date in the UK (and it only got a limited release in the US), but I hope it does get a release soon, as it really is a brilliant piece of cinema.

Our Idiot Brother - Trailer