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Our Idiot Brother

Our Idiot Brother

Comedy · Drama · 2011

Everybody has one—the sibling who is always just a little bit behind the curve when it comes to getting his life together. For sisters Liz, Miranda and Natalie, that person is their perennially upbeat brother, Ned. But as each of their lives begins to unravel, Ned's family comes to realise that Ned isn't such an idiot after all.

Movie details

Our Idiot Brother

“Everybody has one”

2011 Comedy · Drama 1h 30m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

Everybody has one—the sibling who is always just a little bit behind the curve when it comes to getting his life together. For sisters Liz, Miranda and Natalie, that person is their perennially upbeat brother, Ned. But as each of their lives begins to unravel, Ned's family comes to realise that Ned isn't such an idiot after all.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Our Idiot Brother?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jesse Peretz

Written by

Evgenia Peretz · David Schisgall · Jesse Peretz

Paul Rudd

Paul Rudd

Nedrick 'Ned' Rochlin

Elizabeth Banks

Elizabeth Banks

Miranda Rochlin

Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel

Natalie Rochlin

Emily Mortimer

Emily Mortimer

Liz Rochlin Byng

Steve Coogan

Steve Coogan

Dylan Byng

Rashida Jones

Rashida Jones

Cindy

Kathryn Hahn

Kathryn Hahn

Janet

Court is in session

Put Our Idiot Brother on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.