Review: Ideal Home

"I like to serve my stuffed piquillo peppers on the back of a horse," declares Erasmus Brumble as he sits astride a horse as the latest segment of his Santa Fe cable television food show is being filmed. Erasmus could only be portrayed by Steve Coogan, he who originated the vainglorious and self-obsessed Alan Partridge, and who brings Erasmus to absolute life in all his peacocking glory in Ideal Home.

Ideal Home could well have been comprised of nothing more than Coogan delivering such lines whilst decked out in neckerchiefs, cowboy hats and, at one point, a T-shirt that reads "I shaved my balls for this?" Yet writer-director Andrew Fleming throws in the added delight of a bearded Paul Rudd as Paul, Erasmus' longtime partner and show producer who, when asked why he stays with the relentlessly diva-ish star, replies, "Part of wants to stick around just to watch him die." Yes, the two are that kind of couple - constantly bickering and throwing barbs that cut deeper than they should, yet both actors establish a believable and loving bond that keeps viewers invested in both characters.

Erasmus and Paul's already shaky relationship is rocked by the arrival of ten-year-old Angel (Jack Gore), the grandson Erasmus never knew he had. Seems Angel's dad has gotten arrested so either Angel stays with his grandfather or enter Child Protective Services. Erasmus, as is his wont, takes the situation in stride. Paul, however, is more wary, pointing out that they couldn't even handle their Yorkshire terrier ("Thank God for that coyote.") much less an actual human child. Naturally, after several hiccups, Angel becomes an essential part of their lives, though it is Paul who does most of the parenting.

There's a certain old-fashioned, sitcom-ish quality to Ideal Home that may stem from the fact it's been a decade since Fleming thought of the concept. What may have felt progressive then is innocuous now. There's a certain over-reliance on gay-centered jokes that are too obvious and border on the stale. It may be too predictable for its own good, yet it hits all its beats well and its inherent message of choosing our own families remains affecting.

Ideal Home

Directed by: Andrew Fleming

Written by: Andrew Fleming

Starring: Paul Rudd, Steve Coogan, Jack Gore, Alison Pill, Kate Walsh, Jake McDorman, Jesse Luken