Our Idiot Brother

It’s hard to explain why this low-key, winningly good-natured, surprisingly star-heavy US indie comedy has taken two years to reach these shores, and then only as a straight-to-DVD release. Paul Rudd plays the titular goofball, the undisciplined but essentially decent sibling of three far more motivated sisters (Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer and Elizabeth Banks), who turns to the family for help when a mean-spirited ex-girlfriend steals his beloved dog Willie Nelson.

With a breezy, rambling script, summery small-town setting and affectionate performances (Steve Coogan, Hugh Dancy, Rashida Jones and Adam Scott all lend their support), this is a highly watchable, moderately insightful, slightly underambitious but often very funny comedy of family manners.