Culturebox: Our Idiot Brother

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movies Our Idiot Brother A charming comedy with Paul Rudd as a stoner layabout. By Dana Stevens Posted Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011, at 11:48 AM ET In its best moments, Jesse Peretz's Our Idiot Brother (The Weinstein Company) has the translucent sparkle of one of those French comedies that chronicle the romantic follies of attractive, cultured young people. This little movie isn't a fully accomplished farce--it veers toward sentimentality--but the fact that Peretz even gestures in the direction of farce is somehow cheering. It indicates that there's room in the current landscape of American comedy for that venerable subgenre, alongside the knuckle-dragging dude comedies and cutely glib rom-coms that currently dominate the screens. Ned Rochlin (Paul Rudd) is a biodynamic farmer so guileless and trusting that he sells a bag of weed to a uniformed police officer. (To be fair, the cop's "just between us, bro" act was a clear case of entrapment.) After he serves his time, Ned leaves jail to find that his girlfriend (Kathryn Hahn, nailing the passive-aggressive hippie type with precision) has been cheating on him and, worse, won't relinquish custody of Ned's beloved dog, Willie Nelson. To continue reading, click here. Dana Stevens is Slate's movie critic. E-mail her at slatemovies@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Can People Tell You're Lying by the Pronouns You Use? Overwhelmed by All the Yoga Memoirs? Take a Deep Breath. The Woman Who Finally Convinced Parents Not To Dress Their Twins Alike	Advertisement
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