Cast: Paul Rudd, Zooey Deschanel, Rashida Jones, Elizabeth Banks

Synopsis: Centers on an idealist dealing with his overbearing mother who crashes at the homes of his three ambitious sisters and brings truth, happiness and a sunny disposition into their lives while also wreaking havoc.

Release Date: August 26, 2011

7 photosJanet Montgomery

In addition to Rudd’s attractive sisters, you can also oogle more of his idiotic antics. Like taking money out of his pocket on the subway or making sure his parole officer knows he’s high. And, I can’t be certain, but I think he fed a dog chocolate. That dog is going to get chocolate-wasted. Literally.

“Wood will play Celeste’s business partner, a metrosexual who tries to be her ‘saucy gay friend’.”

9 photosPeep 'My Idiot Brother' with Four Hot Chicks

The movie has Paul Rudd as the titular character, along with Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer and Rashida Jones as the “Our.” It’s pretty funny too, particularly the opening scene between Rudd and a police officer. Here’s the official plot synopsis, which I found inside a chocolate egg:

“Ned Rochlin (Rudd) looks for the good in every situation and in everyone, which often puts him at odds with the world around him – especially his family.  Upon being released from jail for a stupid mistake, Ned is kicked off of the organic farm he lives and works on by his ex-girlfriend Janet who also insists on keeping his beloved dog, Willie Nelson.  Having nowhere else to go, he turns to his family, three ambitious sisters (Banks, Deschanel, Mortimer) and an overbearing mother.  Ned crashes at each of their homes, in succession, and brings honesty, happiness and a sunny disposition into their lives.  In other words, he wreaks havoc.”

Can’t wait until Willie Nelson gets his own CGI spin-off starring James Marsden. It can be called Our Idiot Willie Nelson Dog and it’ll be great.

The studio that’s producing this movie now (under its new shortened title) is “unnamed,” but my hat’s off to them for braving what I’m now calling The Curse of Celeste & Jesse. We’ll probably find out which studio it is soon when its offices spontaneously burst into flames.

Anyway, the project now has Andy Samberg as Jesse to Jones’ Celeste, and the script reportedly has “as much drama as comedy,” so it’ll be interesting to see how he handles it. That is, if he doesn’t succumb to The Curse and get run over by a tractor before he gets the chance. (via The Playlist)

Director: Dana Adam Shapiro

Cast: Chris Messina, Rashida Jones, Meital Dohan

Synopsis: A photographer, engaged to be married, becomes obsessed with a prostitute.

Release Date: Apri 24, 2010

So just stick with Rashida Jones, Chris Messina. She’s more cost effective and slightly less likely to get you bludgeoned by an Eastern European pimp.

My Idiot Brother seemed more like the average studio comedy than a Sundance movie. There were a few inspired moments but mostly embarrassing misfires. It kind of feels like the whole movie is Kuno from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and that gets old as the main character.

Ned (Paul Rudd) is the idiot. He’s clearly a nice guy because he gives a little girl free fruit when he’s working a fruit stand. He also sells pot to a uniformed cop because he really buys the story that he just needs to relax. It’s a sting, which honestly I’ll admit, I would not expect a cop to be so blatant either. Also Ned’s dog is named Willie Nelson.

Once out of jail, Ned’s girlfriend Janet (Kathryn Hahn) dumps him and keeps the dog. His family tries to support him, but they’re really condescending. They take turns letting him live with them. Natalie (Zooey Deschanel) is bisexual with a girlfriend (Rashida Jones). Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) is a journalist trying to get the dirt on Lady Arabella (Janet Montgomery). Liz (Emily Mortimer) is married to Dylan (Steve Coogan), a filmmaker making a documentary on a ballet dancer, basically ogling her doing the splits.

Here are examples of some of the wacky hysterics of My Idiot Brother. Dylan bumps into a wall. Liz and Dylan’s kids take African dance class. Ned walks right through Dylan’s shot while he’s filming. Ned pretends to throw his urine sample at his parole officer. Ned goes to a self-help seminar in a sauna and passes out. An elaborate contrivance has Ned sitting in a tow zone all night, when a traffic cop comes he realizes Dylan has the car keys, and walks in on Dylan naked with the ballerina.

The plot complications revolve around Ned delivering information he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t understand that Dylan is cheating on Liz until Miranda explains that’s what he saw. Ned is honest to a fault. When Miranda’s neighbor Jeremy (Adam Scott) mentions a few of Miranda’s faults, Ned just tells her. Then when Miranda bashes Jeremy, he tells him. He also tells Natalie’s girlfriend that Nat’s still sleeping with guys too.

By the end I sort of got what the film was going for, but I don’t think it established it clearly enough. The sister’s have so many smart thoughts that they try to control everything. Ned just relates to people, even if he can’t read them. He charms Lady Arabella so she opens up to him, but when Miranda wants to use the secrets he got, he won’t vouch for her story. So he’s got integrity.

It’s wisdom through idiocy basically, as if being childlike is better than being grown-up and cynical. Well, when these are your sisters, Ned is the lesser of four evils. There’s still a good balance where you can have good values but also take care of yourself.

These photos shed some light on the feel of the movie, which is rife with quirks, including, but not limited to: a hipster neighborhood, alternative lifestyles, pot, and of course, Zooey Deschanel. The film will be something of a mulligan for established music video director Jesse Peretz, who made a name for himself directing several offbeat Foo Fighters videos, including “Learn to Fly,” and “Big Me,” which many may remember as “the Mentos video.” Peretz first stab at a feature was the little-loved The Ex, which fell flat despite a cast that included Jason Bateman, Amanda Peet and Charles Grodin.

Early buzz suggests that Peretz has made the most of his star studded cast that includes, in addition to the aforementioned Rudd and Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks, Adam Scott, Emily Mortimer, and Rashida Jones. My Idiot Brother promises to take a very conventional premise and add some depth and edge that one would expect from this cast and director. No release date is set, but you can bet that will change after the film has tested the waters at Sundance.(The Playlist)

Paul Rudd has assembled his past movie girlfriends and a few indie darlings to form a Voltron of hotitude.. hoticity… umm… attractiveness. Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, and Rashida Jones have all joined his upcoming Jesse Peretz project My Idiot Brother.

In the film, Banks, Deschanel, and Mortimer will play Rudd’s put-upon sisters whom he totally You, Me, and Duprees. Mortimer is a Park Slope mom with a failing marriage, Banks is a career girl, and Deschanel is a flaky bisexual who can’t commit to girlfriend Rashida Jones. Hopefull Paul Rudd can help those mixed up lovebirds see the error of their ways and they live happily ever after in boob-touching bliss. Expect that news to swell a lot of pants at ironic yacht parties this weekend. (THR)

Rashida Jones is the stunning daughter of media mogul Quincy Jones and model Peggy Lipton. If you need a reason to condone interracial relationships look no further than Rashida. Looks, brains, and she even sings backup for Maroon 5. What more could you want?!

A word from Rashida: “Be friendly to everybody; protect yourself; people sometimes want a piece of you for no good reason.”

I have a damn good reason. I’m selfish and oblivious to the fact you wouldn’t find me your intellectual or physical equivalent. So there (gives raspberry).

More examples of interracial awesomeness after the jump.

The MTV Movie Awards are back with another “For Your Consideration” short. This time, Andy Samberg goes for “Best Villain” in the decidedly non-villainous Gentle Dismemberment. While the wooing of Rashida Jones with a wicker basket of puppies does not scream “evil genius,” his dastardly top hat and twirly mustache sure as hell makes him look the part.