I Saw A Film Today… Our Idiot Brother

I really like Paul Rudd. And not just because he was “one of those guys” from Anchorman. The man is just funny. Not Will Farrell “assault in your face and hope for a laugh” kind of humor. His humor is dry and quick, a brand of comedy I find rather relatable. That is why my interest was peaked when I saw the preview for Our Idiot Brother. Plus, the fact that it has Zooey Deschanel, Rashida Jones, and Elizabeth Banks (among others) and is distributed by the Weinstein Company does not hurt either.

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Ned (Rudd) is a biodynamic farmer who just likes helping people. He does this in almost a childish manner. And if that means helping out a cop by selling him some puff, then so be it. But the officer was only setting up Ned for selling drugs and is arrested.

Now, Ned is released early for good behavior into the world and ready to return to his farm. But his former girlfriend Janet has already moved on with someone new and has no intention of allowing Ned to continue working on the farm.

But never one to have his spirits dampened, Ned decides to stay with his sisters until he can get back on his feet. This includes his bisexual sister Natalie (sweet Zooey deschanel) and her partner Cindy (Rashida Jones), Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) who works at Vanity Fair, and Liz (Emily Mortimer). Ned soon learns though that his family does not have the same outlook on life as him. Can he change their perspective?

Oddly enough, Our Idiot Brother ended up making you feel good more than anything else. Sure, its moments of comedy are solid but they are less frequent than you would expect. Ned’s look on the world is so simple and caring, even if he is a happy idiot. He never processes if what he says should be said, he just says it. He just takes his chances and hopes for the best outcome. Which usually happens for him. Normally this would annoy me but in the case of this film, I’m ok with it.

What I can’t exactly overlook is the films somewhat sporadic and loose script. For most of the film you don’t really know where the movie is going. Although the ending does make up for this, for the most part.

I have never liked Paul Rudd more than in this film. Who would have thought that he could play innocent so well? And some of the best comedic actresses working today are in this and the film benefits from it. Deschanel, Jones, and Banks are just fantastic in it. The guys are great also. You really can’t go wrong with Steve Coogan and Adam Scott.

Even with Our Idiot Brother‘s R rating (for some language and a brief glimpse of Coogan’s bum), I don’t see why some of the PG-13 crowd shouldn’t see it. I think everyone could benefit from a little lesson from Ned.

Verdict: SEE IT!

Comments? Opinions? Leave them below.

I Saw A Film Today…The Other Guys

I already regret saying this (because of the numerous comments and e-mails I will receive from adults my age defending him) but I never have liked Will Farrell. Except for Anchorman, Stranger Than Fiction, and his underappreciated roles in Semi-Pro and Land of the Lost, his career has been lackluster for me at best. And after seeing the trailer for The Other Guys, I was pretty sure that it was not going to make it to the short list of his films I enjoyed. But in need of a night out at the cinema I decided to see this “comedy”.

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Danson (Dwayne Johnson) and Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) are two detectives for the New York Police Department, which is a surprising statement. With their reckless ways of solving crimes, I’m surprised that these two still have a job, much less that they are considered  heroes at their department. But the main focus of this film is not on these guys, but on the “Other Guys”. First there is Allen (Will Farrell), a forensic accountant who is a clueless goofy-ball (SHOCKER! This sure is new territory for Farrell). His partner is Terry (Marky Mark Wahlberg), who has been stuck with Allen because he accidentally shot Derek Jeter at the 2003 World Series.

After Danson and Highsmith die in a stupid way, Terry and Allen begin investigating a millionaire businessman named David Ershon (Steve Coogan). This lead to the two detectives uncovering illegal activity in Ershon’s business and naturally leads to many gunfights and car chases.

The first forty minutes of this film are bearable and even has a couple of funny moments. But whatever hold this film had on bringing itself around to a good film is lost after the hour mark. Many gags are unnecessary, too long, and in the end not even funny. A good example of this is a scene where Ershon offers the guys tickets to a Knick’s game. Halfway through the game they realize that the tickets are bribes and confront Ershon about this. Naturally, he offers them tickets to see Jersey Boys and the guys accept them, only realizing halfway through the show that this also is a bribe. All I really wanted to do in the last half hour of this movie was leave (which some people did).

And the performances do not bring much to the table either. Farrell’s familiar role as a loveable simpleton falls flat and he is unbelievable as a former pimp-turned-cop. Eva Mendes’s performance is as mediocre as ever but it is ok…she so gorgeous that it doesn’t even matter. Surprisingly, Wahlberg bring the best performance in this movie as the hot-headed but funny detective. Another performance worth mentioning is Michael Keaton.

Weak plot. Weak comedy. Weak performances. Other than the two above mentioned performances, there really is not much good you can salvage from this film. Instead of seeing The Other Guys, I suggest you go see another movie.

Verdict: SKIP IT!

So what is your opinion of The Other Guys? Was I too harsh on this “comedy”? Leave your comments and opinions below.