In one word, Our Idiot Brother is boring. When five minutes into the film you are already looking at your wristwatch, something is wrong.
The film is of pleasant nature and good intentions but it never quite takes off. I found myself keep waiting for the film to finally start. The wait was over with the end titles.
This is by no fault of the cast, who do their best to blow life into their characters, nor in particular is it the fault of the direction. There is just not enough of a breath to the story, hardly any daring situation nor depth of perspective.
The film’s name implies that the main character is an idiot. One would therefore expect him to be either the family clown, who’s idiocy illuminates everyone’s true nature, or expect him to be a make-believe idiot, a sage in disguise. Yet Ned, the brother, played by Paul Rudd, is neither. He is a naive dude that is not an idiot nor a sage. This film conceals no teachings, nor contains many laughs. A pure waste of time. Too bad. Being one on occasion, I do like idiots.