Review: “Step Brothers”

Seen on: July 25, 2008

The players: Director: Adam McKay, Writers: Adam McKay, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Adam Scott, Mary Steenburgen, Kathryn Hahn

Facts of interest: None at all.

The plot: Two spoiled adults (Ferrell and Reilly) who still live at home are forced to live together as stepbrothers when their single parents get married.

Our quick thoughts: “Step Brothers” is exactly what you would expect from a raunchy comedy developed by the guys who brought us “Anchorman” and “Talladega Nights.” It’s incredibly silly and yet quite entertaining, boasting a bunch of hilarious as well as ridiculous moments that will only appeal to those who thoroughly enjoy the works of Adam McKay, Judd Apatow, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.

The main story line centers on 39-year-old Brennan Huff (Ferrell) and 40-year-old Dale Doback (Reily), two irresponsible slackers who are forced to co-exist as stepbrothers after their single parents (played marvelously by Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins) fall in love and decide to get married.

Although Brennan and Dale hate each other at first, the two lazybones soon discover they may have more in common than they originally thought. Much to the chagrin of their parents, the two slowly start to form an unlikely bond that eventually leads to mindless karate sessions, destructive sleepwalking and the creation of one of the most vulgar (but highly amusing) rap songs I’ve ever heard.

As a big-screen comedy without any pompous sets, striking visual effects or even a captivating plot, “Step Brothers” heavily relies on two things to attract and entertain cinemagoers: a solid dose of one-liners and a popular cast. McKay, Ferrell and Reilly all collaborated on the film’s script, and if there’s one thing they really pulled off, it’s including an awful lot of nonsensical but hysterically funny dialogue.

Not so important is the film’s story, which clearly isn’t as inventive or engaging as what we are used to in recent Apatow productions. The plot obviously stresses the importance of acting your age, respecting and supporting your family members, and gathering the necessary courage to live your own life when time is right, but the thematic and character development are clearly too weak to help the movie earn some extra points.

That said, most what you see in “Step Brothers” can best be described as utterly silly. If you like the kind of comedy McKay and co. delivered in “Anchorman” or “Talladega Nights,” I’m sure you’ll have no troubles spending 95 minutes laughing about Ferrell and Reilly’s goofiness. I personally caught myself laughing quite a bit during the film, but I also admit I found several passages to be just completely unnecessary.

Although Steenburgen and Jenkins clearly deliver the best performances in the flick, I have to admit I enjoyed seeing Ferrell and Reilly act as stepbrothers who start off as competitive enemies and later rock the stage as a team. Watching Ferrell take a break from his now annoying sports comedy routine feels rather refreshing, and he’s clearly got the idiotic look to play a 39-year-old nerd who thinks he’s a world-class singer.

The funniest scenes in “Step Brothers” are obviously the numerous interactions between Reilly and Ferrell, who obviously had a hand in the creation of their characters during the development of the script. Their obvious commitment to come across as two adults acting like babies definitely helps increase the level of hilarity in some of the film’s key scenes.

Freaky quote: “Martha Stewart, Oprah, your wife. You gotta fuck one, kill one, and marry one, who do you pick?" – John C. Reilly

The final word: All things considered, “Step Brothers” is by no means a perfect comedy. The film may boast several hilarious scenes, but the story remains too simplistic throughout and the plot sometimes slows down too much for my taste. If you think Ferrell and Reilly are the funniest guys around, chances are you’ll get some awesome entertainment in return for the price of admission. But if you expect a little bit more than just brainless talking and funny faces from these guys, beware. It takes them quite a long time to grow up.   

Article by Franck Tabouring