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Home / Entertainment

Movie review: Ideal Home

Karl Puschmann
By Karl Puschmann
Culture and entertainment writer·NZ Herald·
12 Jul, 2018 01:00 AM2 mins to read

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Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd star in Ideal Home

Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd star in Ideal Home

Some couples choose to be parents, others have parenting thrust upon them. That's the situation Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd find themselves in when Coogan's grandson shows up one night, and puts a kid-sized damper on one of their regular bawdy dinner parties and their extravagant lifestyle.

What follows is a fairly typical look at a couple learning how to parent, the strains that come with it and facing up to the flaws in their own relationship as they struggle with their newfound, and unwanted, responsibilities.

If that all sounds a little dry, don't worry, it's not. The movie's leads ensure its often laugh out loud funny. There's some great lines here, especially from Coogan's snooty and camp-tacular celebrity TV chef Erasmus Brumble. He does veer close to OTT parody initially but soon enough shows the pathos and heart of Brumble.

As always Rudd is extremely likeable, even while being weary, grumpy and increasingly dissastified at putting up with his egocentric partner.

The tone of the movie is mostly light and jokey, but it doesn't shy away from serious and dramatic moments when it needs to. This kind of story can easily slip into preachy or overly saccharine territory but, thankfully, it remains grounded never veering into cheese.

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Ideal Home offers a twist on the traditional family dramedy that leans slightly more towards the comedy side of things. It's ideal viewing if you're after a breezy, entertaining watch.

Cast: Steve Coogan, Paul Rudd
Director: Andrew Fleming
Running Time: 91 minutes
Rating: M (Sex scenes, offensive language and drug references)
Verdict: Enjoyable dramedy that serves up plenty of laughs.

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