Much of the humor has to do with Ned's hippie-style mentality in contrast to his sister's more ambitious designs. For me, the big surprise was how I ended up liking the dude with the slacker mentality and resented the aggressive family members. Ned really isn't an "idiot" per se. He's just trusting and good natured. Those are good qualities in fact and make this comedy something to champion. And I can see myself so much in his sisters and not necessarily as much in all of Ned's personality. It really surprised me that this movie made me stop to think about my own life and my own drive.
I adored the acting. The plot is character driven. It's practically a drama with some amusing circumstances. Paul Rudd portrays the lackadaisical, but sweet biodynamic farmer. He's matched by Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, and Emily Mortimer as his loving but seriously flawed sisters. That's a strong supporting cast, all capable of greatness. This might be the best Elizabeth Banks has ever been. She reminded me of actress Parker Posey. As the go-getting journalist for Vanity Fair, she's all brittle personality and chilly exterior. She's memorable. It's never clear how Ned acquired such a temperament so contrary to his more determined sisters, but it supplies the basis for a lot of funny situations. The rest of the actors are fantastic as well. I hate simply listing names but everyone bears a mention. Kathryn Hahn, Steve Coogan, Hugh Dancy, and Rashida Jones round out the impressive list of players. It's the ensemble work that raises the level of drama to something more than just a lightweight comedy.
All in all, I highly recommend this movie to all of you. "Our Idiot Brother" is not the dumb comedy that the name, and most of the marketing, leads the audience to believe.
