Our Idiot Brother

Theatrical Release Date: 2011 08 26 (USA)

UPC: 013132367095

Studio: Starz/Anchor Bay

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Nudity, Adult Situations, Profanity, Sexual Situations]

Summary: Scruffy idealist Ned (Paul Rudd) wreaks havoc on the lives of his mother (Shirley Knight) and three sisters, Miranda (Elizabeth Banks), Natalie (Zooey Deschanel), and Liz (Emily Mortimer), while overstaying his welcome in each of their homes and voicing his opinions when they aren't wanted. Organic farmer Ned always looks for the best in everyone, but his unfailing honesty continually lands him in hot water. Arrested for selling drugs to a uniformed police officer, Ned gets the boot from his girlfriend, and mourns losing custody of his beloved dog, Willie Nelson. Fortunately for Ned, his sisters are able to recognize his inherent goodness and give him a place to stay as he struggles to get back on his feet. Meanwhile, Ned's unusual habit of telling the truth often comes at the cost of his siblings' sanity, and before long they're regretting their decision to help him out. But just when it starts to look as if Ned might be the dimmest bulb in the box, a sudden epiphany prompts his entire family to consider the prospect that the world would be a much better place if everyone were as honest as their freewheeling brother. Steve Coogan and Hugh Dancy co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Comedy

Awards: Film Presented – Sundance Film Festival

Features: Feature commentary with director Jesse Peretz
Deleted and extended scenes
Making of Our Idiot Brother

Our Idiot Brother

Format: DVD

Release Date: 11/29/2011

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Alternate Wide Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 90 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Subtitles: Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Our Idiot Brother
1. Chapter 1 [3:15]
2. Chapter 2 [2:10]
3. Chapter 3 [5:30]
4. Chapter 4 [3:47]
5. Chapter 5 [5:12]
6. Chapter 6 [4:35]
7. Chapter 7 [7:00]
8. Chapter 8 [4:43]
9. Chapter 9 [3:33]
10. Chapter 10 [4:00]
11. Chapter 11 [4:50]
12. Chapter 12 [8:16]
13. Chapter 13 [2:57]
14. Chapter 14 [1:43]
15. Chapter 15 [5:01]
16. Chapter 16 [3:55]
17. Chapter 17 [5:31]
18. Chapter 18 [4:23]
19. Chapter 19 [3:21]
20. Chapter 20 [3:06]

Perry Seibert

Paul Rudd might be the best comic actor of his generation. That doesn't mean he's the best comedian, it means he can inhabit three-dimensional characters and get laughs with dialogue, and that he can find the nuances to make a character that could easily be played as a one-note joke into a real human being. The latter is what he does in Jesse Peretz's Our Idiot Brother. Rudd plays Ned, a hippie pacifist and organic farmer who, during the course of an opening scene that beautifully establishes both the movie's tone and the main character's open-hearted personality, gets shipped to jail for selling drugs to a uniformed police officer. When he gets out, he needs help from his three sisters: Vanity Fair underling Miranda (Elizabeth Banks), who's trying to get her first big story into the magazine by interviewing an heiress; housewife Liz (Emily Mortimer), whose documentary filmmaker husband, Dylan (Steve Coogan), loathes Ned; and would-be standup comic and bohemian Natalie (Zooey Deschanel), whose girlfriend, Cindy (Rashida Jones), is a lawyer. Into their lives Ned tumbles, and thanks to his na?vet? and trusting nature, dirty family secrets start coming to light. Meanwhile, Ned keeps visiting his parole officer, and trying to take custody of his dog, Willie Nelson, who's being kept by Ned's ex-girlfriend Janet (Kathryn Hahn). In different hands, say Will Ferrell's, Ned would be a cartoon hippie, and the movie's comedy would come from us laughing at his outrageous facial hair and socially awkward behavior. With Rudd, Ned becomes someone whose seemingly annoying traits are actually a virtue. There's a key scene halfway through the film where Ned says that he knows he's too trusting and open with people, but believes all the goodwill he puts into the world will come back to him. That belief in karma is what makes Ned a noble hero rather than a buffoon, and it gives the movie a surprising layer of depth. This isn't a psychological drama, though, it's a character comedy, and the laughs are plentiful. In addition to a wealth of seemingly improvised throwaway lines from Rudd, there are a number of comedic set pieces -- the family going en masse to rescue Willie Nelson from the domineering Janet; Ned accidentally discovering Dylan's affair; and Ned's TMI visits with his parole officer, to name just a few. There are many characters and a strong cast, and Peretz does an admirable job of giving everybody the right amount of screen time. Ned and his sisters all have traditional story arcs, but the film's low-key offhandedness and gentleness keep the plot mechanics fresh. There's a goofy sweetness to the whole movie, and thankfully the laughs don't come at the characters' expense, but grow out of the clash of their personalities. The movie works so subtly that you might not realize how deeply engaged you are until Ned cracks for the one and only time in the film. During a game of family charades, he explodes in frustration, and the effect is as sobering on the characters as it is on the audience. You realize in that moment how much you care about Ned, even while you've been laughing the whole time. What makes Our Idiot Brother so good is that Peretz and Rudd make sure we see why, contrary to all appearances, Ned really isn't an idiot at all. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Cast and Crew: John Hodges  Executive Producer 
Peter Saraf  Producer 
Nathan Larson  Composer (Music Score) 
Jesse Peretz  Director 
Jesse Peretz  Executive Producer 
David Schisgall  Screenwriter 
Caroline Jaczko  Executive Producer 
Stefanie Azpiazu  Executive Producer 
Marc Turtletaub  Producer 
Aleen Keshishian  Executive Producer 
Anthony Bregman  Producer 
Eric D. Johnson  Composer (Music Score) 
Evgenia Peretz  Screenwriter 
Paul Rudd  Actor 
Elizabeth Banks  Actor 
Zooey Deschanel  Actor 
Emily Mortimer  Actor 
Steve Coogan  Actor 
Hugh Dancy  Actor 
Kathryn Hahn  Actor 
Rashida Jones  Actor 
Shirley Knight  Actor 
TJ Miller  Actor 
Adam Scott  Actor 
Janet Montgomery  Actor 
Sterling K. Brown  Actor 
Matthew Mindler  Actor 
Francesca Papalia  Actor 
Bob Stephenson  Actor 
Peter Hermann  Actor 
Kelly Briter  Actor 
Kayla Squiteri  Actor 
Summer Squiteri  Actor 
Linda Haug  Actor 
Wrenn Schmidt  Actor 
Kathy Fitzgerald  Actor 
Marceline Hugot  Actor 
Alexia Rasmussen  Actor 
Lucas Near-Verbugghe  Actor 
Polly Draper  Actor 
Neal Lerner  Actor 
Katie Aselton  Actor 
Nick Sullivan  Actor 
Gina Artese  Actor 
Silvestre Rasuk  Actor 
Andrew Secunda  Actor 
Adi Hanash  Actor 
Camille Bright  Actor 
Teja Frank  Actor 
James Biberi  Actor 

Country: USA