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Our Idiot Brother
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Anchor Bay Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (12th February 2012). |
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The Film
 Despite the fact that Paul Rudd has been on the scene since 1992, he hadn’t really developed much of a following outside of people who can still quote the movie “Clueless” (1995). Or, if you’re like me, you fondly recall his star making turn as an older Tommy Doyle in the horror classic “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers” (1995). But it wasn’t until almost a decade later that he began to break out into the mainstream where people could recognize his comedic talents. Thanks to Judd Apatow, and his ubiquitous productions, Rudd has been busy since “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” (2004) became a staple of pop culture. The key supporting roles he played in those films clearly proved he was up to the challenge of commandeering his own cinematic vessel, and he did just that with the one-two punch of “Role Models” (2008) and “I Love You, Man” (2009). Those were, in my opinion, two of the best comedies to come out of their respective years (my love for all things KISS and Rush might’ve played a small part in cozying up to them). Better still, both films performed well enough at the box office that Rudd can now be seen headlining many more pictures to come (like the sequel to 2007’s “Knocked Up”, “This Is Forty”(2012)). Unfortunately, not every role is a guaranteed smash, as he found out last year when “Our Idiot Brother” (2011) opened to mediocre numbers and faded fast. I can understand why – it looked like a stoner comedy with the stoning, and “ lovable moron” movies are a tough sell if your name isn’t Kevin James. Ned (Paul Rudd) is content with coasting through life working on his biodynamic farm and selling fresh produce at the local farmer’s market, but that all changes for him when he (foolishly) sells a baggie of marijuana to a uniformed cop who claimed to be having “a bad week”. Upon his release, he also learns that his girlfriend, Janet (Kathryn Hahn), has dumped him, thrown him out, stolen his dog, and she’s shacked up with a new dude, Billy (T.J. Miller, sporting a horrendously bad fake beard). With nowhere to go, Ned turns to his family. Unfortunately for him, none of them like him very much. You see, Ned has all the best intentions in every action, but his gullible nature often leaves him looking foolish by trusting all the wrong people, openly sharing information with everyone and generally pissing off anyone who spends more than a day with him. Ned’s three sisters – Miranda (Elizabeth Banks), Natalie (Zooey Deschanel) and Liz (Emily Mortimer) – each get a reminder of Ned’s behavior when he cycles through their homes, as none of them can take being around him for too long. And, although he causes a predictable level of chaos, he also forces everyone to get a little introspective and find the positives and negatives in their lives. Do people like Ned still exist in this world? Surely, they must, but Ned is a character that would be right at home in 1969. His personal code of free love, trust and peace is perfectly suited to that era. In 2011? Not so much. I applaud his positive outlook on the world – that everyone is generally trustworthy and good unless they prove otherwise. But that kind of attitude will probably get you broke or killed in today’s society. Sometimes he’s just too stupid to be believed, like when he hands a wad of cash to a young subway passenger sitting next to him while he juggles some other tasks. Is anyone that unconditionally trusting? No, and small moments like that make the character a little less endearing to me. I’d rather have Ned be more of a believable idiot than a total idiot. He’s not a “dumb” idiot, but he’s definitely lacking in the common sense department. For example, once he’s assigned a parole officer he treats the sessions like therapy, despite the fact that his P.O. is less than interested in hearing the trivialities of Ned’s life. And, as in therapy, Ned discloses many things, a decision which holds some serious consequences he doesn’t even remotely consider. In many ways he’s like the dog he spends the film trying to reclaim, only with slightly less hair. I truly appreciated Ned’s honesty, since I firmly believe it is the best policy, even when we don’t want it to be. Ned’s sisters get fired up because he exposes the lies that are hiding right under their noses, but they’re really just angry with their situations, not with Ned’s actions. Because, you know, in the end everyone is going to be better off thanks to his sage advice. It’s a good thing Paul Rudd is funny because otherwise I would have been distracted by his sisters so much that a nuclear war could have broken out in my living room and I wouldn’t have turned my head to check. Obviously, we all have our personal tastes, but throw me in a room with Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Rashida Jones (Zooey’s girlfriend in the movie) and throw away the key. Please, seriously. These women are hot AND they can act. Coincidentally enough, Jones and Banks both played girlfriends of Rudd’s characters in “I Love You, Man” and “Role Models”, respectively. Emily Mortimer might be hot in other things (I’m not familiar with her work), but she’s supposed to be a sexless housewife who’s let herself go a bit, so she doesn’t make the virtual spank bank team. She is, however, fantastic at playing a neurotic, stress case. Banks is the up-and-coming journalist who only shows an interest in spending time with Ned when she sees an opportunity to exploit something he knows. Did I mention she looks incredible in a pair of heels? And Deschanel is the free-spirited bisexual sister who happens to be dating (and making out with) Rashida Jones’ character. She’s not as hostile toward Ned as the others… until he gives her reason enough to be, of course. Honestly, all of them could be playing deaf mutes and I’d still be glued to the screen. Kudos for casting gorgeous women who can also pull off comedy. I don’t think everyone has a Ned in their lives, but I think he works well as a metaphor for what many people might need in their lives. It’s easy to put on blinders and lose sight of the good, and the bad, that surrounds all of us every day. Ned, with his simplistic outlook on life and matter-of-fact dialogue, forces his family to confront the underlying issues in their lives and face them head on. His presence is usually seen as a problem because he has the ability to inadvertently rile things up, but once the dust settles everyone finds they’re in a better place. As much as I love seeing Rudd play the “ lovable asshole” character he’s perfected through many different films, I enjoyed seeing him tackle a role that felt so genuine and – dare I say it? – heartwarming.
Video
I can’t say I was bowled over by the film’s 1.78:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image. The most prevalent, and persistent, issue that kept it from looking great (instead of just “good”) was the softness of the picture. I don’t believe this was the result of utilizing any DNR; it’s likely inherent to the source or a result of lenses used on the set. Still, the lack of a sharp focus prevents me from awarding the film a higher score. I don’t want potential viewers to think the film looks murky or waxy, but there’s a distinct lack of “pop” to the image that I’ve come to expect from stronger transfers on Blu-ray. Colors are appreciably better, however, with a plethora of primaries and other bright shades bursting from the image at almost any given time. The film is meant to be warm and light-hearted, and so the image reflects this with the use of vibrant colors. I loved the scenes with Ned going back to the biodynamic farm because there’s such an abundance of color to soak in. There aren’t many scenes that take place at night, but the picture does take a bit of a hit when we’re bathed in darkness. The image can sometimes become slightly obfuscated and lose a fair amount of detail, but things never get so bad that it looks unacceptable. Although I wasn’t amazed by the detail shown, one thing you can clearly tell is that Paul Rudd’s beard is 100% authentic… and T.J. Miller’s is 1000% fake. I haven’t seen a fake beard look so obvious since the last time I looked at the cover art for "Gettysburg" (1993). You know what does look great in hi-def, though? Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, and Rashida Jones.
Audio
An English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track mixed at 48kHz/24-bit is the film’s primary soundtrack. Although this has been mixed with a multi-channel track, almost all of the activity is exclusive to the front speakers. The score is a lounge-y, mellow groove of a track, peppered with some acoustic numbers to fill things out a bit. There’s nothing here that’s going to set your system on fire, though. On rare occasion, there might be some faint sounds emanating from the rear speakers, but more often than not everything comes from the front. The works perfectly well for this kind of film, so I’m not going to complain about a lack of dynamics at play here. A film like this is required to play up the quiet, tender moments as much as the more grandiose ones (of which there are few) and a subtle track like this does a great job of perfectly capturing the intended mood. Subtitles are available in English for the hearing impaired and Spanish.
Extras
There’s very little to go around here, but a few minor supplements of interest have been included for the film. There’s an audio commentary (but not with Paul Rudd or any of his sisters), a handful of deleted/extended scenes and a very run-of-the-mill featurette on the making-of the film. They could have done more with this release, but I’m sure the underperformance at the box office tempered any chances of a better edition. The audio commentary with director Jesse Peretz is a fun track, with the director filling viewers in on the minutia of the film, casting decisions, what the actors were like on set locations, etc. It covers all the bases you’d want (and expect) a commentary to cover and it does so in a way that makes the track imminently listenable despite the fact that it’s missing many of the participants viewers would like to have heard on it. There are some deleted/extended scenes (480p) as well as an alternate ending included, almost all of which were wisely trimmed: - “Ned Takes the Subway” runs for 3 minutes and 19 seconds, this is an extended scene of Ned foolishly trusting others on a subway. - “Ned Waits for John” runs for 17 seconds, it’s literally 17 seconds of him just standing there. - “Ned in Prison” runs for 39 seconds, a brief scene of Ned arriving for his second stint in jail. - “Alternate Ending” runs for 4 minutes and 37 seconds, this is wildly different from the theatrical ending, giving us a comprehensive look at how everyone is doing now that Ned has affected their lives, a bit more with Steve Coogan and a denouement that feels slightly less satisfying than the one we got. “The Making of Our Idiot Brother” (480p) featurette runs for 14 minutes and 36 seconds. Typical piece with cast & crew discussing the usual suspects – casting, shooting, locations, etc. Most of what you might learn here has probably been covered in the commentary, but this is worth watching if you want a very condensed version of how the film came together. Bonus trailers (1080p) are included for the following releases: - “Dirty Girl” runs for 2 minutes and 25 seconds. - “Submarine” runs for 2 minutes and 13 seconds.
Packaging
The single 25 GB disc comes housed in an amaray eco-case with artwork that matches the theatrical poster.
Overall
Rudd continues to excel in the field of comedy, and this headlining role is another winning notch in his belt. The cast is rounded out with some accomplished comedic actresses. Gorgeous comedic actresses. That I can’t get enough of. And with a solid video presentation and a few decent extras, this is a good recommendation if you’re a Rudd fan and can find it for under $15.
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