Directed by Jesse Peretz
What would things be like if everyone compulsively told the truth and always thought the best of people around them? Organic gardener Ned (Paul Rudd) shows us that it is a good way to get people to dislike you, take advantage of you and even get you into serious trouble (as he found out when he gave some marijuana to a uniformed police officer after hearing his tale of woe).
After being released from prison, Ned is thrown off his farm by girlfriend Janet (Kathryn Hahn) who more importantly won’t allow him to have his beloved dog Willie Nelson. Without a house, a job or a clue about how to get Willie Nelson back, Ned seeks shelter with his family.
After feeling suffocated by his mother Ilene (Shirley Knight), he moves in with his oldest sister Liz (Emily Mortimer) and her pretentious documentary filmmaker husband Dylan (Steve Coogan). He gets on famously with their seven year-old son but his form of fun clashes with his sister’s child-rearing guidelines.
Living with his career-minded middle sister Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) ends when he fails to help her career by compromising a friend. Younger sister Natalie (Zooey Deschanel) and her partner Cindy (Rashida Jones) try to accommodate him but, as always, his blatant honesty threatens their relationship.
He is no closer to getting Willie Nelson back when he has to move back in with his mother.
Being honest with his parole officer was never going to have a happy conclusion, so he ends back up in prison. Meanwhile, his family recover from all the painfully funny predicaments he has left them in and realise that trusting the people around them may not be such an idiotic thing. This hilarious, feel-good film highlights the way we blame the people closest to us for our screw-ups.
Lezly Herbert
***
