Which actor plays the title role in "Our Idiot Brother"?

Paul Rudd plays the title role in Our Idiot Brother.

Rudd portrays Ned Rochlin, a well-meaning but naïve man whose trusting nature repeatedly gets him into trouble. After being released from jail, Ned moves between the homes of his three sisters, disrupting their carefully managed lives while also exposing tensions in their relationships.

The 2011 comedy-drama was directed by Jesse Peretz and features Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer as Ned’s sisters. Although the title calls Ned an “idiot,” the film treats him less as unintelligent than as unusually sincere, optimistic and unwilling to manipulate people.

A possible source of confusion is that the film has a large ensemble cast, with several actors receiving major storylines. Paul Rudd is nevertheless the central performer and plays Ned, the brother named in the title. The role also fits the actor’s established screen persona: affectionate, awkward and fundamentally decent.