"Our Idiot Brother"

By Matt Duncan
Coastal View News

One typically wouldn’t ask a complete stranger to hold onto one’s life savings. And, as a rule, one doesn’t blithely confess one’s crimes to the police. One would have to be an idiot to do that. But, then again, maybe the world could use more idiots like that. That is, if it’s only idiots who are trusting and honest, then maybe there is something to it. For, as “Our Idiot Brother” shows, sometimes the biggest idiots turn out to have the best grasp on what is most important.

Ned (Paul Rudd) is a happy-go-lucky guy selling produce at a farmer’s market when he gets arrested and imprisoned for selling pot to a police officer. Ned takes his punishment in stride, but when he gets out of jail, he quickly finds out that he has nowhere to go. His girlfriend (and roommate) has moved on with her life. And the true love of his life—a golden retriever named ‘Willie Nelson’—now belongs to another.

Heartbroken and confused, Ned stumbles into the arms of his mom (Shirley Knight) and three sisters (Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, and Emily Mortimer). At first Ned’s family is glad to see him and happy to help him out. However, before too long, Ned’s presence becomes an irritant—his haplessness begins to interfere with the busy lives of the people he loves.

It might be that Ned is an obnoxiously naïve, painfully unaware, horribly unmotivated hippie who can’t be taken seriously. That is, “Our Idiot Brother” might just look like the story of a dope that gets busted for selling dope, and then goes on to ruin his sisters’ lives. On this interpretation, Ned is the goat. He’s simply an idiot.

But this is not what this movie is about. “Our Idiot Brother” is not just the story of a guy who is so honest that he confesses his crimes to his parole officer; it’s also about what others do in the presence of a person who is so open and trusting. It’s the story of a group of people—Ned’s sisters in particular—who are so busy, clever, conniving, and stressed out that they can’t stand the company of someone like Ned.

Which is a shame, because Ned is kind and loving. He is straightforward and incapable of abusing other people for his own gain. It is true that Ned is naïve, and yes, he could stand to grow up a bit. But it may be that Ned’s faults are not really his own. It could be that the only reason Ned looks like a failure is because he lives in a world that rejects his kindheartedness in favor of vindictiveness. One might think (or worry) that the real problem is not Ned’s childlike trust in others, but rather, others’ inability to be trusted.

“Our Idiot Brother” is funny and charming. Paul Rudd, with his long greasy hair, scraggly beard, broad grin, and blank stare, brings Ned to life. The other characters are also fun to watch, although they are far less memorable than Ned.

It is nice (and noteworthy) that, instead of being a hackneyed story about a loveable screw-up who eventually learns to wise up, this movie is about a genuinely good (albeit simpleminded) person who teaches others that kindness is more important than cleverness. Hence, instead of mocking (and thus devaluing) people like Ned, “Our Idiot Brother” celebrates a certain group of folks who are typically misunderstood or marginalized.

This, together with Ned’s infectious smile, makes “Our Idiot Brother” worth seeing.