CourtsideJack Reviews

Our Idiot Brother (2011)

An entertaining look at dysfunction

[8/10 · 11 December 2011]

This movie was hard for me to classify, as I do not think it fits the mold of full blown comedy, or drama. Although it certainly provides its fair share of laughs through witty dialog, it also deals with some very serious subjects that affect many families. We follow Ned who has hit his fair share of roadblocks. Luckily he has the support of his three sisters (or so he thinks) to help him get out of his rut. Paul Rudd does an excellent job of playing Ned, a lovable loser who has a very naive look at the world. But for him it works. He is entirely to trusting, almost to a fault. Through his infallible trust in others, he is able to bring out some good in people as well as expose them for who they really may be.

This movie moves somewhat fast, and the plot seems somewhat disjointed due to all we really see is what happens when Ned unexpectedly invades his sisters lives. It ends almost as abruptly as it started, but it did not take away from the overall viewing experience. This movie made me wanting more of Ned and his family.

Overall, the acting is well done and the casting was successful. I highly recommend this movie, as it is a nice escape and is very entertaining.

Life in a Day (2011)

At face value, engaging but peel away some layers and it is profound.

[10/10 · 5 December 2011]

We have all had that moment. At a particular point in any given day, we wonder what someone is doing on the other side of the world at that exact moment. Life in a Day gives us just a glimpse of the world on a normal day and does so masterfully. I was very engaged by the flashy editing and creative montages but also very touched at some of the short sequences of humans in their most candid moments. This film gives us a window into life on the macro and the micro. It presents us with constant scene changes and slick editing to keep us interested and then gives us some very real and very profound moments.

This film manages to reward the viewer with quality and quantity, in the sense that it packs more into its 95 minutes that you can shake a stick at. Many of the stories in this movie could be their own documentaries themselves and make for a great watch. But it is not just the people, that make this movie great. Without giving anything away, this film will find ways to pull at your heartstrings in ways you may have never experienced with cinema. Everyone at some point in this film can relate to moments that are so visceral and so real, you may find your self reliving emotions you may not have expected, good and bad. I am being purposefully vague because any explanation of the events in this film will not do it justice. You need to experience it.

I highly recommend this film, not as a documentary, but as an experience and window into the human condition. Life, death, love, laughter, bodily function, work,war,heartbreak, fear. Just some of the emotions and experiences chronicled, this film does a great job of presenting it in an interesting way that keeps you wanting more. It is almost too bad that for most of the subjects, we are offered a very brief glimpse into their life only to be whisked halfway around the world and thrust into the home of another. The Scott brothers (Tony and Ridley) did a great job of keeping some cohesion as far as the chronological order of the day and the subject matter. With 4500 hours of footage from 192 countries, this was no small feat.

In closing, I hope more and more see this movie as it gives us an unbiased glimpse into the human condition. Approach the movie with an open mind and a little patience, and you will be rewarded. It is art such as this that can help us understand one another to hopefully be able to put aside our differences, if for just one day.