A nice-guy aura surrounds Paul Rudd, possibly to the detriment of his acting career.
The guy’s got serious theater training and he has played his share of dramatic roles, but he has fallen into the comedy biz so successfully that it may be a while before he’s associated with anything else.
The progression from splendid supporting work in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up” to leads in “I Love You, Man” and “How Do You Know” seemed perfectly natural, and his role in “Our Idiot Brother” sounds tailor-made for somebody who invariably comes across as, well, just so darned nice.
Rudd plays Ned, an amiable thirtysomething who believes that people are generally good and if you have faith in them, that faith will be rewarded. He hasn’t gotten very far in life.
A hang-loose organic farmer, Ned does a prison stint after providing a uniformed officer with a small amount of illegal herb (although, to be fair, it’s probably organic). Leaving stir, he throws himself on the mercy of his three sisters, whose attitude toward him is summed up by the film’s title.
They are played by an appealing trio of actresses: Elizabeth Banks is an ambitious careerist at a glossy magazine, Emily Mortimer is a gone-to-frump mom and Zooey Deschanel is an uncertain lesbian with a fledgling stand-up comedy career and a wandering eye.
Director Jesse Peretz, who worked with Rudd on the under-appreciated “Chateau,” finds some comic gold (well, maybe silver) in triangulated scenes of people talking at cross-purposes: The three sisters giving a “pep talk” to each other that dissolves into lightly veiled criticisms or Ned trying to get his dog back from his easily “fronted” ex-old-lady (Kathryn Hahn, from “Step Brothers”) and her new dude (T.J. Miller) at the organic farm.
Throw in Rashida Jones as Deschanel’s partner and Steve Coogan (late of “The Trip”) as Mortimer’s husband and you have a cast of skilled people.
That may be one reason to feel let down at what “Our Idiot Brother” actually delivers; too many scenes float by without truly igniting, despite the scattering of amusing moments.
I’ll give the movie a passing grade, though, just for allowing Paul Rudd to do his thing in an extended way. His genial, passive style serves him well here: getting into an Abbott and Costello-style linguistic confusion with Jones over the phrase “I’m the man,” or feeling guilt over not being able to follow through on a sexual threesome with a couple looking to swing.
He really wasn’t into the threesome, but, hey, they seemed like decent folks, and it’s a drag to disappoint people, and, well, you get the idea.
The movie endorses Ned’s open-minded amiability, but it also knows there’s such a thing as being too nice.
“Our Idiot Brother” (3 stars)
A starring role for Paul Rudd as a sunny optimist whose hang-loose lifestyle collides with his more skeptical sisters (Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, Zooey Deschanel). With the excellent collection of talent involved, the film ought to ignite a little more often than it does, but at least it gives Rudd a chance to trot out his nice-guy style in a series of low-key-funny situations.
Rated: R for language, nudity, subject matter.
Showing: Alderwood Mall, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Metro, Pacific Place, Thornton Place, Woodinville, Cascade Mall.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
