OUR IDIOT BROTHER (R)
Starring Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, Steve Coogan
Released by The Weinstein Company

Paul Rudd has been making a career out of bromance movies as of late (see Role Models, I Love You Man, and Dinner For Schmucks) but with Our Idiot Brother (formally My Idiot Brother), the disarming (and undeniably likable) actor is front and center: as Ned - the titular idiot, but from the get-go we it becomes clear that it takes a village idiota clueless, idealist, likable simpleton with a heart of "Columbian" gold who functions as an inadvertent truth filter between his somewhat dysfunctional family. Rudd is simply charming and watching his nitwit Ned Meddle sort out his family's affairs - without really trying to - is an absolute riot. Writer/director Jesse Peretz shows a true sense of comic timing but when you have performers like Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, Steve Coogan, Zooey Deschenel, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, and T.J. Miller on your side, it helps. What really took me by surprise was sincerity (and truth) at the heart of this wonderfully appealing film. Like last year's Cyrus, Our Idiot Brother walks that fine line between realism and laugh out loud hilarity. This is the funniest movie of the year!
Don't be an idiot and let this one slip by
Grade: B+