RBR: Our Idiot Brother

I don't know if there's been another film that has had as perfect of a cast as this one. It's just an embarrassment of riches when it comes to likable funny talent in this film. It's led, by Paul Rudd as the titular brother. But the film also has Elizabeth Banks, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, Steve Coogan, Emily Mortimer, Zooey Deschanel, TJ Miller, and Katheryn Hahn in it as well. Each of whom are absolutely delightful here and make the film very entertaining. The problem though is that there isn't much of a story for these wonderful actors to work with. This is more like a collection of short vignettes involving Rudd interacting with the other characters strung together in a semi-cohesive manner. Each scene is enjoyable, but the whole is not greater than the sum of the parts. I know it can be a cliche, but this really did feel more like the pilot to a television show rather than a feature film. There's nothing really gained here other than the notion that being simple and dim-witted can be all right sometimes. Call it the Forrest Gump lesson. If you enjoy thse actors, it's likely you'll find this to be an entertaining 90 minutes. If you don't (and why the hell don't you?) then there probably isn't enough here to keep you engaged. Rating: *** 1/2