Monday, September 12, 2011

Movies: Our Idiot Brother



I've loved Paul Rudd for a really long time, ever since I was 13 years old and my friend and I begged her mother to rent Clueless at the video store, only to make her regret her decision when she walked in on the part when Cher is smoking up at a valley party (oh, Rolling with the Homies....).  Anyway, he made the movie for me with his weird but sweet crush on Cher, and then he made me love him even more with his bit parts in Romeo and Juliet and The Cider House Rules, and later co-starring with Jennifer Aniston in The Object of My Affection.

The point is that I knew I'd like Our Idiot Brother even before Anthony and I went to see it.  The cast rules with Rashida Jones, Elizabeth Banks and Zooey Deschanel, but Paul Rudd steals it with his awesome portrayal of Ned.  He's naive but not dumb; he's kind-hearted to a fault.  Ned tries to see the best in everyone and loves every part of life, and even though his sisters think he's an idiot, he doesn't necessarily come off that way to the audience.

Perhaps his optimism is refreshing because I also try to look on the bright side as much as possible, and I don't think people really understand that a lot of the time.  The movie is not for everyone but for me, it rang true and proved to be entertaining as well.  The end wraps up a little too nicely, but I thought the rest of the movie was so messy that I didn't really mind it.  I have a feeling that Our Idiot Brother will wind up in our permanent DVD collection in a few months, but until then, I'll continue to get my Paul Rudd fix by watching The 40-Year Old Virgin every time it's on television, which is like 90 times a week. 

No comments: