Step Brothers

Step Brothers (2008)

*** (out of 4)

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play spoiled brats who are still living at home with their parents. Ferrell lives with his mother (Mary Steenburgen) and Reilly his father (Richard Jenkins) but when the four move in together after the parent's marriage all hell breaks loose as the new step brothers can't seem to get along. Sometimes I can't understand mainstream critics who seem to walk into R-rated comedies and get upset that they're not watching some screwball comedy from the 1930s. Is this film stupid? Yes. Is the film raunchy? Yes. Is the film at times mean spirited? Yes. None of those yes marks matter because in the end the film is funny and that's the main thing. If you want a thinking man's movie then you might want to go elsewhere but if you want to laugh then this film offers up plenty to enjoy. I've never been a big fan of Ferrell but I thought he was terrific here as the lazy bum who can't stand to be out on his own. Reilly is equally great and putting the two together makes for some great chemistry as the two really know how to play off one another. I think a big key for the film are the supporting performances by Steenburgen and Jenkins as their straight forward approach to their "kids" makes for plenty of laughs and their constant struggle to stay sane is something I'm sure many parents could relate to. The film is full of dirty dick jokes, masturbation jokes and various other sexual jokes but I found myself laughing extremely hard. The first thirty minutes had tears running down my face but after that the thin plot shines through with most of the jokes being hit and miss but at the end I certainly laughed more times than I didn't so that makes this a winner in my book.

This was quite a funny movie. Of course the entire premise is utterly ridiculous, two "grown men" ages 39 and 40, still job-less, living with their parents? It seemed to me that these two guys acted like 9 year-olds, but that is what makes it funny. I think this movie was even funnier than Talladega Nights, Ferrell & Reilly's first collaboration.

There was a very thin and outrageous plot, but it lent itself to tons of improvisation, and in turn creating some of the ridiculous scenes, circumstances, and dialog. And seeing Mary Steenburgen curse like a sailor was hysterical. Ferrell and Reilly both play their characters to the hilt, as does Adam Scott, the evil younger brother, and his insane wife played by Kathryn Hahn. Overall there is an equal amount of slapstick, dialog, and potty humor (well okay, probably a bit heavier on the potty humor).

Though the movie itself is very hysterical, there are also some equally good bloopers, cut scenes, etc. on the DVD bonus materials. These are as hysterical as the movie was. I highly recommend renting the DVD and watching the extra features.

Really funny. good premise and lots of memorable moments (about 5 viewings, 1/17/2021)

Despite a few jokes that fail to land, Step Brothers is still a ridiculously funny comedy that is gleefully stupid. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are perfect and have incredible chemistry. Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen are all great. It's consistently funny throughout and at points hilarious. Adam McKay's direction is great, it's well filmed and well paced. The music by Jon Brion and the soundtrack are both good.

Welcome to Masterpiece Theater. In this program, we study, analyze, and praise only the most prestigious, mature, sophisticated, and acclaimed works in modern cinema. The next film in our program features male nudity, random humor, quirky one-liners, obscenities sprinkled like spices on meat, and enough immaturity to make Saturday morning cartoons appear to look like Mozart's 22nd piano concerto. The highly sophisticated and charming Will Ferrell teams up with dashing John C. Reilly as they deliver us a trip down a level of integrity rarely ever seen in movie-making. The result is a comedy so low in the intelligence scale, it doesn't require anything past a 2nd grade education to truly appreciate what a show they've put on.

In this comedy full of Shakespearean integrity, we find two men who fail to live up to their dreams, being forced to share the same house and the same parents. With their personalities being so alike, they start clashing like two extremely powerful magnets facing each other. However, as time moves on, they become close like brothers (as the clever title states) and attempt to succeed with each other's help. This script, helmed by Reilly, Ferrell and Adam McKay (Our director), combines crude humor with more heart than a dead flea for approximately 98 minutes. So, it's never too long and never too preachy.

Full of whimsical material, Step Brothers never quite loses focus in the art it's portraying. Whether it's engaging in a nasty battle against much younger kids, having to come in contact with feces, rapping about anatomy below the waist, fighting multiple times, making detailed threats about extraneous activities, speaking like a careless sailor, or even playing around with an extremely dangerous weapon in multiple instances, our heroes of the story encounter many, many obstacles. Just when you think the plot runs out of ideas, we get another surprise.

That being said, before engaging in a viewing session with this work of classy art, one must develop a taste for it. If you didn't quite comprehend the quality of Anchorman or Talladega Nights, then odds are you will not appreciate Step Brothers. You must be immune to absolute stupidity, absurdity, and crudeness that you just usually do not see. Ferrell has perfected his art of being a lovable oaf with the smarts of a sack of refined beans. If you do enjoy this sort of art though, then there's no reason why you will not engage in a spirited chuckle once in a while. You will be referencing the movie long after the credits roll; it's just a part of nature.

Bottom Line: On the offchance that you missed every hint towards sarcasm in the previous several paragraphs, Step Brothers is quite possibly the most immature movie in the history of modern film-making. With that being said, as long as you have the acquired taste and are willing to accept stupidity for a long period of time, you'll have a blast. The chemistry between the actors is phenomenal, as Ferrell and Reilly seemed destined to work together. The plot throws our main characters into many different scenarios, disallowing you a chance to see what's going to happen next. Step Brothers, a hall of fame candidate in any Masterpiece Immature Theater.