Our Idiot Brother

Despite three new releases and a hurricane that shut down much of the East Coast, The Help took the number one spot at the box office for the second weekend in a row with $14.3 million. In what was the second slowest weekend at the box office this year (behind only Super Bowl weekend), new film Colombiana saw a modest debut, taking second place with $10.3 million. Other newcomer Don't Be Afraid of the Dark followed close behind in third place with $8.7 million. Rise of the Planet of the Apes maintained a top five spot, coming in fourth with $8.6 million, while Our Idiot Brother came in fifth with a disappointing $6.5 million in its opening weekend.

Photo courtesy of Dreamworks

Sometimes the best comedy comes from the most relatable subjects, and Our Idiot Brother mines a rich source: family. Paul Rudd stars as the titular brother, Ned, a Bohemian free spirit who gets arrested in an unfortunate setup. When he's released months later, he finds himself jobless, dumped by his farmer girlfriend (Kathryn Hahn), and in need of a place to stay. Luckily, he has a lot of family in the area, including his three sisters: Nat (Zooey Deschanel), Miranda (Elizabeth Banks), and Liz (Emily Mortimer).

Although Ned is the family member who seems to have the messiest situation, his sisters' lives are all in precarious positions too. Nat is in a committed relationship with Cindy (Rashida Jones) but prone to cheating, icy Miranda is making poor career choices and missing out on a relationship with her neighbor (Adam Scott), and Liz is oblivious to the fact that her husband (Steve Coogan) is a jerk with a wandering eye. As Ned moves from each of their places (or rather, is kicked out of each place) and into the next, he brings to light all of their problems and bears the blame. His journey is a wacky one that's sometimes awkward and frustrating, but it has as much as heart as its put-upon protagonist. To find out why I enjoyed Our Idiot Brother, just read more

The ever adorable Paul Rudd has a new movie on the way in Our Idiot Brother, and the actor took his charm to Harvey Weinstein's office to create a fun new video for Funny or Die. Watch as wide-eyed Rudd reads off a list of hilarious marketing ideas from a sheet of toilet paper. Among them: a live billboard, a trailer in the middle of a movie, and "Rudd's mud" (you'll have to watch to figure that one out).

We got a taste of Paul Rudd's next comedy with the first trailer for Our Idiot Brother, but the second preview reveals even more of the film. In this new peek, we see hippie Ned (Rudd) mucking things up for his three sisters (played by Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, and Elizabeth Banks) when he crashes on their couches and spends a little too much time mingling with their friends and neighbors. This time though, the preview sheds more light on the heart of the film, as Ned's sisters realize that their "idiot brother" is more than just a screw-up. Check it out when you read more

I've been excited about My Idiot Brother pretty much since the full cast was announced back in June, so catching the film's premiere at Sundance this weekend was a huge treat. The movie follows Paul Rudd as an unflappable optimist whose devotion to honesty gets him into one sticky situation after another, particularly when he starts couch hopping between his three sisters. Though I had already mentally set the bar pretty high, I was pleased to find a comedy that's smart, fresh, and often very funny. (Apparently I wasn't the only one: the film was snatched up by the Weinstein Company just hours after the premiere.)

• Who's behind it? Director Jesse Peretz has compiled a dream cast of characters headlined by Paul Rudd and including Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, Rashida Jones, Steve Coogan, and Adam Scott.
• What's it about? Rudd plays Ned, a free-spirited farmer (read: crunchy hippie), whose positive attitude and unyielding faith in the people around him often gets in the way of his sense of judgment. Ned is arrested for selling marijuana to a police officer (who claimed he was having a bad week and in need of a pick-me-up), and is released from prison eight months later. When his girlfriend kicks him off their farm, Ned is shuttled around between his mother and three sisters where he unintentionally meddles in each of their own busy lives and personal issues.

For my thoughts on the film, just keep reading.