icymi: our idiot brother

Our Idiot Brother is one of those movies that had pretty good reviews and an appealing cast, and I just never got around to seeing when it was out in theaters. partly for its R rating — it's always harder for me to see R movies on my own — arranging to go without the kid can sometimes be difficult or just plain expensive. So I was glad to get an opportunity to catch up with the movie on Netflix the other day, and even happier when it turned out to be much better than I had expected.

The story follows Ned Rochlin (Paul Rudd), a good-natured, laid-back guy who wants to see the best in everyone and takes what people say at face value. This modern-day Candide and biodynamic farmer is easily caught selling marijuana at his farm stand in a "sting" by a policeman. After a brief stint in prison Ned returns to the farm and finds his girlfriend Janet (Kathryn Hahn) has moved on with Billy (T. J. Miller) and wants Ned out, but refuses to let him take his dog, Willie Nelson. Ned, homeless and heartbroken without his pet, reaches out to his family — first his mother (Shirley Knight), and then, one by one, his sisters, Liz (Emily Mortimer), Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) and Nat (Zooey Deschanel).

Omar, Ned's parole officer (Sterling K. Brown, speaking extremely slowly), "I'm Officer Omar Coleman. I'm your parole officer. "

Ned (Paul Rudd), "I'm Ned Rochlin. Why are you talking so slow?" 

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

Ned, "Yeah, I get that a lot."

Paul Rudd is wonderful as Ned. He could have played the part as a real idiot, for broad laughs, but he and the movie don't make that choice. There are definitely humorous situations, but Our Idiot Brother is a more human comedy. Each of the girls' lives is spiraling out of control. Liz is trapped in a loveless marriage with her husband Dylan (Steve Coogan), Miranda is so focused on her high-powered job at Vanity Fair that she is willing to do anything to get a big story, and Nat may be throwing away her great relationship with Cindy (Rashida Jones) from fear of moving forward. While Ned may initially not seem to be helping anyone's situation, his open approach to life can't help but shine a light on some of their more deceptive ones.

As fun as it is to watch Ned, both Rashida Jones and T.J. Miller stand out in their roles as Cindy and Billy. Zooey Deschanel's twee Nat may be the only bum note, but her cluelessness does seem to be part of her character's trajectory. I couldn't help but feel that she needs to do something else and fast, as the charm has worn off the quirk. But the focus stays squarely on Rudd, who nails his hippie love man in all his tree-hugging glory. Most folks may not want to go "full-Ned," but couldn't we all stand to be a little more open, positive about people these days?

Ned, "I like to think that if you put your trust out there; if you really give people the benefit of the doubt, see their best intentions, people will rise to the occasion."

As sweet as Ned can be, there is a wonderful scene in the middle of the movie where he finally loses it, while trying to play charades with his mom and sisters. It's one of those moments that occur within families, and a glimpse at the anger and frustration that even sunny Ned has to contend with. Our Idiot Brother is a fun and funny film, and Paul Rudd once again proves how engaging he can be.

catching up with ... how do you know

This should have been a good movie, but it's not. It's not bad because the main actors — Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd —lack appeal. They are all fine. The script has some funny moments and even Jack Nicholson is giving it his all. Witherspoon plays a character that is trying to sort out her life, professional and private. For a female character to do that in a movie, and to actually be the focus of the movie, is a rare and good thing. So what exactly is wrong with How Do You Know?

It starts with an original premise — Witherspoon's character is a female jock (softball) who has just been cut from her team and is having a lot of trouble trying to figure out not only what to do next, but who exactly she is. Unfortunately, the film soon introduces the love triangle, and her character seems to completely forget her dilemma. Even though I just watched the movie, I have no idea what her character's name was, or any of the characters. That's not good.

There is a completely uninteresting, unbelievable, and almost unintelligible subplot involving Rudd and his dad, played by Nicholson, involving corporate scandal. Maybe Brooks just wanted to include his old buddy Nicholson in the film? How Do You Know at least is less crass than As Good As it Gets, another James L. Brooks film that starred Nicholson (which I really couldn't stand.)

The either/or proposition that Witherspoon faces is beyond predictable. Before the movie starts we know that Paul Rudd is going to be the one she ends up with. Rudd, who is one of the most charming actors out there, in this movie plays a total shlump. He's a nice guy, but not a nice guy a girl would want to spend too much time with. He is so cringeworthy so much of the time that it is highly unlikely that he and Witherspoon would end up together. I was actually hoping against hope that she would walk off into the sunset by herself, and start dealing with that question of what she was going to do with the rest pf her life post-softball career, which would be far more realistic than ending up with Rudd. I feel like a traitor to my Rudd crush writing this, but he was just icky. Maybe Brooks caved from the original ending, because that's how Rudd played his character throughout the movie.

Owen Wilson, who may have been playing far from the "perfect" guy (as if there is such a guy or girl), was his usual charming self, with a good dose of me-centric professional athlete thrown in. He was perfect in the role. Maybe he wasn't someone Witherspoon would decide to be with forever, but the guy deserved points for trying. Neither Rudd nor the script ever really gave a great reason why she shouldn't at least attempt to give her relationship with Wilson a chance.

The best scene in the movie was when Rudd asked Witherspoon, who he has a crush on but really hardly knows, to tag along with him and visit a female friend who has just given birth. Talk about being clueless about boundaries. But the script says she should go with him, so she does. They witness an exhibition of "true love" in his friend's hospital room and an extreme example of Rudd's character's usual cluelessness (which is actually the movie's funniest moment). Rudd then thinks he's finally broken through, gotten Witherspoon where he wants her, and she, as usual, just doesn't think of him that way at all. It's a real, human moment. But the movie then falls back into cliché rom-com territory and forces the two of them together anyway.

Either Owen Wilson's or Reese Witherspoon's characters got a raw deal, because their dialogue together was far more fun and full of potential than anything she shared with Rudd:

Witherspoon: What am I doing? I caught myself. Don't judge anybody else until you check yourself out, that way you are lucky if it's your fault because then you can correct the situation. I'm nervous over something that is going on with me, and I ended up with an attractive guy who you would have to be an idiot to mistake for anything more than just a fun friendship, and... and, yes amazing sex, and then I give that guy a hard time for just being who he is. Totally my fault, I'm sorry. Please forgive me.

Wilson: Are you apologizing? 

Witherspoon: Yeah. 

Wilson: If you are really apologizing, you may be my dream girl. I heard those footsteps and I'm like, right, somebody nuts is coming back to be more nuts, and now an apology. You might be my dream girl.

As far as I can tell, by movie's end, Witherspoon still doesn't know.

in praise of older women

Article first published as In Praise of Older Women on Blogcritics.


Amy Heckerling needs to make more movies. And they all need to feature Paul Rudd. Apatow's OK, but more Heckerling, Rudd.

Rudd's dance scene alone should sell this movie.

This movie went straight-to-DVD, which is usually considered a bad thing, but the way people watch movies these days—on cable, the internet or via Netflix and similar services is an ideal way to catch up with "little" films that wouldn't have been at the box-office anyway. I do find it strange, however, that studios are willing to wide-release a movie like this week's latest rom-com with Ashton Kutcher and is-she-already-overexposed Natalie Portman but passed on this one with Pfeiffer and Rudd.

The quick answer is that they think that because the female lead is of a "certain age" that no one will go see it. Any woman over twelve should love this movie, as would most men, I suspect. Saoirse Ronan is great as Pfeiffer's daughter and Jon Lovitz as her ex-husband. You can see how they might have gotten together once upon a time and totally get why they aren't together anymore.

I've had a crush on Rudd since Clueless and obviously so has Heckerling. She has a new movie in the works about vampires, Vamps, starring Alicia Silverstone, which should hopefully give all those mopey and boring teen vamps a much-needed kick in their glittery pants. Maybe she should do the rumored Buffy reboot. The director is faithful to her actors—Rudd, Stacey Dash, Silverstone, Wallace Shawn—she obviously likes who she works with and works with who she likes.

One of the best and shortest scenes in I Could Never Be Your Woman is Pfeiffer reacting to a couple of Hollywood types trashing and dismissing women:

The movie is filled with funny, well-written moments, such as Pfeiffer's character Rosie bantering with younger boyfriend Adam (Rudd):

Rosie: Remember when we had that talk about you being 29? I keep thinking about how... young that is.
Adam: Well, I'm planning on getting older.
Rosie: [laughs] Yeah, well I'm not planning on getting younger.
Adam: That's just being stubborn.

I tend to forget how funny Michelle Pfeiffer can be, because it's so easy to be blinded by her beauty, but she gets to be goofy and smart-talkin' in I Could Never Be Your Woman and it suits her.

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