My Review: Our Idiot Brother (7/10)

¨I just figured, looking at your sheet, that since you sold grass to a uniformed police officer that you must be retarded.¨

Our Idiot Brother is the latest Paul Rudd comedy directed and written by relatively unknown Jesse Peretz (who is better known for his music videos). I really wasn’t expecting much from this film, but I have to admit that I was hooked with the story and the characters from the very beginning. I mean, it`s hard not to like Paul Rudd when he is playing the dumb nice character. I really thought he was miscast in Dinner for Schmucks where he had to play a much more serious and means spirited role. This time he gets to play the dumb innocent character and he is just hilarious. The rest of the cast in this film is also great and I really laughed throughout the movie. It is dumb and lighthearted, but I was really entertained. There isn’t anything original about Our Idiot Brother and we`ve laughed at similar jokes in other movies, but I just had a great time with this film and I can`t really explain why. I guess it had to do with Rudd`s easygoing character. He was one dimensional like most of the other characters, but sometimes this works in a comedy when you are actually making fun of these typical stereotypes. The story also works thanks to the great chemistry Rudd has with the rest of the cast and the dynamics between these characters. Rudd is the main character, but he interferes in most of his family`s life in one way or another and everyone seems to suffer from his decisions. The movie really works well and had me laughing throughout it.

Paul Rudd is Ned, a hippy and idealistic guy who grows organic vegetables in a farm with his girlfriend Janet (Kathryn Hahn) and his dog Willie Nelson who he absolutely adores. One day Ned is caught selling weed to a uniformed police officer and is sent to prison. Ned is just a simple guy who puts his absolute confidence in people expecting the best from them, and that is why people end up taking advantage of him. It`s easy to say he`s idiot, but in my opinion he`s just pure hearted and has the best intentions for everyone; even though those best intentions end up hurting his family. He has three sisters: Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) who is a writer and is working on her first real important article, Natalie (Zooey Deschanel) who is a model for a nude painter named Christian (Hugh Dancy) and is moving in with her girlfriend Cindy (Rashida Jones), and Liz (Emily Mortimer) a mother of two boys who is married with an important documentary director, Dylan (Steve Coogan). When Ned is released from prison for good behavior he returns to the farm only to find out that Janet is with another man named Billy (T.J. Miller). Ned isn’t welcome anymore and he isn’t even allowed to take his dog with him. Without a home and without a job, Ned has to return to live with his mother Ilene (Shirley Knight). He also spends a few days with his sisters making their lives a bit complicated due to his sincerity, and thus is where all the comedy ensues.  

Even though Ned causes a lot of trouble back home, he isn’t actually guilty for his sisters` mistakes. It`s just that he seems to say the wrong things at the wrong time. He is a very sincere person and for that he gets other people into a lot of trouble, but at the end they learn that sincerity is the best way of going about things. He is a little slow and naïve, which in today`s society we sometime consider to be stupid since he expects always the best from everyone and never considers that most people are opportunists or just plain mean spirited. The heart of the film relies on this ingenuity and how it ends up complicating things for his sisters who decide to blame him for having a big mouth instead of realizing that their mistakes have put them in that situation. The cast in this film is just fantastic. Steve Coogan, Emily Mortimer, Zooey Deschanel, and Elizabeth Banks all give funny performances. Paul Rudd however, is the heart of the film and he is a lot funnier than in his recent films. I really enjoyed this comedy and found it very entertaining. I think the world would be a better place with more people like Ned. Kudos for Jesse Peretz and his direction in Our Idiot Brother.

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My Review: 500 Days of Summer (8/10)

(8/10) 500 Days of Summer is this year`s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This is not your typical romantic comedy. This movie feels very fresh and original despite dealing with issues we are already familiar with. Love stories can be very cliche and numbing, but in 500 Days of Summer the way the romantic story is presented feels like this is something that hasn`t been captured on film before. The relationship between Summer and Tom feels very authentic, the way they meet then how they start a friendship, it just has a realistic take on love. I loved the way the film was presented with flashbacks jumping from day one to two hundred and eight and so forth. From the opening scene you knew this was not your typical love story and that you were in for a new experience. From the beggining you know that the relationship is not going to work, but you are still intrigued with what the outcome will be. First time film director, Marc Webb known better for his direction in music videos, does a great job at intrigating so many different techniques, styles, and a great variety of music into this movie. This is one of the better romantic comedies out in the last few years (along with Definitely, Maybe).

Joseph Gordon-Levitt goes back to what he does best, romantic comedies (it has been ten years since his latest romantic flick, Ten Things I Hate About You). He does a good job playing Tom, a young man working as a greeting card writer with a frustrated dream of being an architect. He is a firm believer in love and destiny and when he meets the new assistant at his office he finally thinks he has found the love of his life. The assistant is Summer, played by the beautiful Zooey Deschanel, she is a very modern girl who does not believe in relationships and wants to have a casual relationship with Tom. Her character has several flaws, but it is so hard to hate someone like Summer, she just seems to be so sweet and naive and this is what works best in the film, that just like guys when they fall in love with a girl they dont seem to see the flaws that person has untill it is too late, Tom cannot see her faults and pick up on the signs that she is just not that interested in him as he is in her. You have to give credit to Zooey for giving such a great performance because if this was just any other actress we would probably hate her character and wouldnt be able to connect with her. This film works because many guys can identify with falling in love with someone like Summer. Chloe Moretz played a supporting role, but she stole every scene she was in. She played Tom`s little sister who always gave him such great advice on love as if she were an expert even though she was only around twelve. Her scenes were probably the funniest ones in the movie.

Webb had a great story to work with along with a talented cast, but the way he presented this film was what made the movie so much better. He used different techniques such as the split screen and even musical numbers and combined it with a good soundtrack and non-linear action. I loved the split screen near the end of the movie that compared Tom`s expectation when he met Summer with what was really going on. That was probably one of the most brilliant scenes I have seen this year although it might put off other people that would rather see a less complicated film. But I think this approach was very accurate and really told a story we have heard or seen a million times before and gave it a nice spin, a fresh look, and something we could relate too. I really enjoyed this movie and would watch it again anytime.