Review: "Our Idiot Brother" is Filled With Idiotic Cliches

I have been psyched about Our Idiot Brother since they made the casting announcement that Zooey Deschanel would play Paul Rudd's bisexual sister, who was in a relationship with Rashida Jones. Besides the fact that these women are both fine actresses with great comedic skills, the fact that there was a prominent lesbian couple in a buzzed about familial film with other big names like Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer and Kathryn Hahn was even more exciting.

Plus I've always liked Paul Rudd — ever since Clueless, yes, but especially after Wet Hot American Summer.

So that's why I'm about to tell you why I was so bummed out by this movie. (Spoilers ahead.}

First, a little bit about the plot: Rudd plays Ned, a well-meaning but rather naive 30-something who is incarcerated for selling weed to a police officer. This isn't his first time, unfortunately, as he's a big fan of organic farming, if you know what I mean. When he gets released, he finds his girlfriend (Hahn) has moved on, and he's forced to go live with his mother.

Because that's a little too depressing, he begins taking up his sisters' offers to stay with them, one at at time. First, Liz (Mortimer) who is a stressed out mom married to a cheating documentary maker. Second, Natalie (Deschanel) who lives with several roommates while she tries her hand at stand-up comedy. Lastly, Miranda (Banks), a writer at Vanity Fair who is trying to get her first cover story.

At each household, Ned complicates his sister's lives by his sheer involvement, although you'll find out that it's not really his fault. Instead, Ned inadvertently shines a light on the issues in their relationships, both personal and professional. With Natalie, Ned is the person she confides in with a huge secret she is hiding, and he let's it slip to her girlfriend, Cindy (Jones).

Cindy is a part of the family. Natalie's sisters and mother love her, she's invited to family dinners and functions and she's a successful lawyer. She genuinely cares about Natalie and even her down-and-out brother Ned. He's her buddy, and she is intent on helping him get his dog back from his evil ex.

But Natalie craves attention. Ned says that she'll sleep with anyone; she even "slept with their cousin." (Here come the terrible stereotypes!) She's bisexual, so despite the fact she's in love with Cindy, she can't help but want to sleep with a male artist (Hugh Dancy) she's posing for. She convinces Ned to go to a cult-esque steam room meeting with her because the artist is a member. They end up sleeping together — and Natalie gets pregnant.

Without considering any options other than lying to Cindy as long as possible before having the baby, Natalie tells Ned, who instantly ushers her to come clean with Cindy. To get Ned off her back about it, she tells him she told Cindy everything and everything is OK. Ned believes her (see what I mean about his being naive?) and later tells Cindy how cool it is of her to be so understanding. When Cindy asks what the hell he's talking about, she becomes visibly sad and furious at the same time, calling Natalie to scream "How could you?" into the phone.

Natalie blames Ned for entire ordeal, joining her sisters in their eventual joint boycott of their brother. He was part of Liz's finding out her husband is a cheater and he wouldn't lie to Miranda's boss for her about a story she didn't acquire in the most ethical way. Without ruining any more of the plot points, I can tell you that the family comes back together in the end to help Ned retrieve his dog and get on with his life, as they all know they need to get on with theirs.