Ned's a great guy. Actually, he's a little too great. In fact, Ned is a little too good for his own good. Case in point, when we first meet this happy-go-lucky organic produce seller, he's just trying to help a brotha' out. He hear's the guys sob story about a rough week and gives in to his request to sell him some pot--not that Ned was actually selling. He was going to give it away until the guy insisted that he pay something. The trouble with this scenario is that the brotha' was a cop...and, not even an undercover cop. Rather, he was a uniformed cop. Can the audience heave a collective "Whatta ya thinkin', Yo???"
After serving his time, the never negative Ned embarks on his new life. Unfortunately, he's forced to do so without his girlfriend, who has left him. Even worse, she's holding onto Ned's bff--Willie Nelson. No, not the singer, Ned's dog. Then, Ned heads over to Mom's for his first of four stops. After ole Mom, it's on to his sister's (Zooey Dechanel, Elizabeth Banks and Emily Mortimer) homes for short stays. It seems that everywhere Ned goes, he wreaks havoc on the lifestyle of his host. Yadayadayada Ned makes his rounds, bringing his uniquely naive and trusting philosophy to each home, while leaving a wake of disruption in his path; that is, until his family begins to embrace his idiomatic personality.
It's okay...2.5 Stars. I know in marketing...and relationships...and well, life in general...timing is everything. The same can be said for movies. With the hilarity coming out of Hollywood of late (Friends with Benefits, The Change-up, etc.), this one is just a bit flat. Sure, Our Idiot Brother has its moments--at least a few of them, but nothing like I've seen over the last few Friday nights. With that said, there are no glaring issues. The story is fine. The acting is fine. Rudd does no injustice to hapless. Zooey plays the sexually confused sis nicely. Elizabeth Banks nails the role of the high-powered wanna be sister. Finally, Emily Mortimer is convincing as the sister who struggles to dig her own head out of the sand as her hubby (Steve Coogan) cheats left, right and side-ways...well, make that moon-ways. Plus, there's a good message and some good humor, even a couple 'laugh-out-loud' moments.
All in all, with tons of 'funny' available in the flick world, this one is best suited to rent in November. No real need to go BIG here, unless you've got a stalker-esque crush on Rudd or fellow cast mate. That's it for me. No mowing this weekend as nothing grows in this heat. However, plenty of stuff to get done around here so off I go...enjoy your Sunday!
True...OUT!
No comments:
Post a Comment