Review: Step Brothers


Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play two developmentally-challenged (i.e. Juvenile and lazy man-children), middle-aged losers still living at home with clearly no desire to change that arrangement. Ferrell’s single mum is the nice, beautiful and loving Mary Steenburgen, whilst Reilly’s single dad is the long-suffering Richard Jenkins. The two parents hook up, decide to move in together, and instant, violent (sophomoric) hatred is formed between the two sons forced to room together. The two eventually find a common enemy in Ferrell’s smarmy, more successful brother Adam Scott. Seth Rogen has a pretty funny cameo as one of the interviewers the guys meet when forced to seek employment (resulting in one of the funnier fart gags I’ve come across in a while).


The team behind “Talladega Nights” strike out in this largely unfunny 2008 Adam McKay misfire. The problem is that Ferrell and Reilly have their best moments when their characters start to actually bond over a common enemy (Scott) and similar interests. Why is that a problem? Because the film mostly has them as infantile, unlikeable enemies for much of the film, and most of these scenes aren’t very amusing. In fact they are just plain mean-spirited and unfunny. The whole thing is pretty unlikeable (same issue I had with the similar “Mama’s Boy”, starring Ferrell’s “Blades of Glory” co-star Jon Heder), as are the characters.


Some of it works, a lot of it doesn’t, and what works isn’t even very memorable or inspired. But hey, if you wanna hear Steenburgen say ‘fuck’, here’s your movie. This is seriously profane stuff btw, and features a hopefully prosthetic shot of Ferrell’s nut-sack being used on a drum kit! You’ve been warned!. Me, I was mostly bored, aside from the amusingly horrendous Billy Joel covers band towards the end (one of the few times “SNL” alleged comedian Horatio Sanz has made me laugh).


Rating: C

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