OUR IDIOT BROTHER
4 out of 5 stars

“you know, he’s just a little boy. little boys fight. doesn’t mean he’s going to grow up to be a frat-boy rapist.” – the one and only nedrick rochlin re: his nephew river

LOL, this movie was very touching and heartfelt! we really shouldn’t be calling ned an idiot per se because he’s essentially just a really really really nice guy whose naive and clueless about...well, life. :P

ned (played wonderfully by paul rudd) is a free-lovin’ hippie who lives on a farm waaaaay the hell out in rural NY, growing all the pot he can smoke + all the vegetables he can grow with his GF janet and canine companion named willie nelson. one fine day, ned is approached by a cop who wants some MJ, and ned giving into the cop’s story of having a “bad day”, sells him some. ned is arrested, thrown in jail, but then the prison releases him early because of his good behavior. too bad for ned, his GF has moved on, and kicks him out. (he even loses custody of his dog!) so, he moves back home to live with his mom, but then he also stays with each of his sisters, who really don’t want him around... they are: 1) liz- a frumpy emily mortimer whose got a cheating husband and is overwhelmed by motherhood 2) miranda- bitchy and bossy elizabeth banks who is a writer/journalist for vanity fair magazine and in love with her neighbor jeremy but doesn’t know it yet 3) natalie- a hipster zooey deschanel...when is she NOT a hipster in a movie?! all 3 can’t stand ned interfering with their lives, but then they realize he only means well. ;)

it’s a good movie about the importance of siblings and family in general. whether you like it or not, family is family... the character of ned is a great one, but it would have been even better if the sisters were just as developed as he was. (i.e. arrested development) i think that’s pretty much what they were going for, but this one fell short. but one thing is for certain....paul rudd sure can play a free-loading hippie well. ;)