Not as slapstick as we expected, this story of a naive man-child who always tells the truth, getting himself and his sisters in trouble, is funny and charming with Paul Rudd in the title role, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, and Emily Mortimer as his harried sisters, and Rashida Jones as Deschanel's girlfriend. I listed my Rudd favorites in Dinner for Schmucks, and he is endearing as Ned. Banks (after I wrote about her in Zack & Miri Make a Porno, I liked her series arc in 30 Rock) is good as prickly Miranda, looking a lot like Parker Posey in that dark brown hair. Deschanel (see my faves in Yes Man, after which she was in (500) Days of Summer) is cute as ever as the aspiring comic Natalie, Mortimer (my favorites are listed in City Island) is earnest and deluded as ever as Liz, and Jones (I started watching Parks and Recreation after I wrote about her in I Love You, Man) plays against type as the no-nonsense lawyer Cindy in no-nonsense plaid shirts and sensible shoes. Good supporting work from Kathryn Hahn (one of the redeeming points of How Do You Know and Revolutionary Road, as well as a series arc on Hung, and more) as Ned's mean girlfriend; Steve Coogan (last profiled in The Trip) as Liz's mean husband; T.J. Miller as the other dumb nice guy (he played another dumb guy in Unstoppable, among many credits); and lots more.
The music is by Eric D. Johnson, who has played with Fruit Bats, the Shins, and Califone; and Nathan Larson who scored Boys Don't Cry (1999), Dirty Pretty Things (2002), Choke, The Messenger, and others. I couldn't find links to any full songs on youtube, but here's the amazon page for the soundtrack, and you can listen to clips from 16 songs there.
Directed by Jesse Peretz (he has a few credits but none that I've seen) from a script by his sister and brother-in-law Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall (a writing debut for both, though Schisgall has produced and held other jobs on documentaries, including several by Errol Morris), Jack and I think this is worth your time, despite its being barely fresh on rottentomatoes with 67% from critics and 63% from audiences (imdb gives it 6.9 out of 10).
You won't be tempted to run out of the theatre at the end, because there are bonus outtakes starting immediately and running almost til the lights come on.
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