Full Review: You may not realize this, but Our Idiot Brother is a movie for grown-ups. It's not your run-of-the-mill stoner comedy, it's not even a "loveable loser makes good" kind of film. It's a story about a guy who is who he is and is perfectly okay with it. He's an idiot, for sure, but it's actually one of his endearing qualities. He loves and trusts stupidly, and in the end, that idiotic, unselfish love is what drives this story to its heartwarming conclusion.
In many ways, aside from the arrest for selling drugs, the idiot brother Ned (Paul Rudd) is kind of a Christ-figure. He shows up in the lives of his three sisters and disrupts them completely, but in the end, they are better for it. He leads them down the right path, even if it means leaving the safety of the way things were for the uncertainty of what could be. Ned is constant, and as the movie shows, that never needs changing. It could be a spiritual sequel to The Big Lebowski, as this dude does indeed abide.
It's an R-rated comedy for sure, but it's not full of scatalogical humor (poo jokes) nor is it a string of raunchy sex jokes, though sex is a big fixture in this movie don't get me wrong. (And if you've been wondering what Steve Coogan's backside looks like, this this film is your answer.) However, the sex, and the very real consequences, are the issues that grown-ups face, not the antics of horndog teens trying to hook up on Prom night.
This, ultimately, is why this movie may not find initial theatrical success. It's about grown-up issues and concerns, about complicated relationships, marriages in trouble, and not knowing what you really want even when it stares you in the face. It's about why families love each other even when they don't like each other all the time. Finally, it's about a man and his love for his dog.
Our Idiot Brother isn't the outrageous movie the previews might mislead you into seeing; it's a small, funny, heartwarming film that never feels false. Plus, there's a few good bloopers in the credits, so it's got that going for it. If you need your spirits lifted, then this is the film for you.
I can do more than review movies. Check out the book I wrote.
No comments:
Post a Comment