Step Brothers Review
Directed by: Adam McKay
Written by: Will Ferrell and Adam McKay
Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, Adam Scott, Andrea Savage

Will Ferrell may play the same character in almost every movie he does, but don’t kid yourself: not all Will Ferrell movies are created equal. Semi-Pro was proof of that, after a first-time director and mediocre writer failed to give Ferrell anything funny to work with and left him to flounder on screen. I suppose Ferrell should shoulder some of the blame that one as well, since the movie felt like it was nothing more than a paycheck for him. However, like many actor/director partnerships that have thrived over the years (you know: Scorsese/DeNiro, Burton/Depp, etc.), there is one man who has always helped Ferrell to reach his full comedic potential, and that is former SNL writer Adam McKay. When these guys get together to make a movie, you know you’re in for a masterpiece… or at the very least, a new cult classic.

Step Brothers is the third movie that Ferrell and McKay have done together (the first two being Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby). At this point, you should already know what you’re in for; if you disliked either of those movies, you probably won’t find anything new or different here that will win you over. On the other hand, if you are obsessed with both of these movies and can quote entire scenes at will, there’s a very good chance you will soon be quoting this movie too.

The “man-child” is a role that has become quite popular in comedy as of late, with Ferrell and Adam Sandler being among the biggest purveyors of this particular schtick. Basically, Step Brothers takes this familiar man-child concept to a new level of absurdity and transplants it to a grown up divorce scenario. When two single parents remarry and move in together, they bring their unemployed 40-year-old sons with them. An intense sibling rivalry develops, but eventually the two step brothers are forced to put aside their differences and find a job before their parents kick them out of the house.

The dysfunctional family situation portrayed in this movie is silly and immature to the extreme and yet at the same time, there really is some subtle truth beneath it all. Despite the unabashed low brow nature of this movie, it does touch on some interesting cultural phenomena, such as the fact that children are living at home longer nowadays, and the younger generation’s fascination with terrorizing their parents in the vein of Tom Green and Bam Margera.

John C. Reilly stars opposite Ferrell once again, and as expected, they carry the vast majority of the film. Their chemistry is evident from the outset, as they riff on each other’s jokes and one-up each other’s outbursts. Some might complain that they both play the exact same character in this movie, but then again, that’s kind of the point… Brennan and Dale are supposed to be mirror images. Of course, at times this only amplifies the fact that we’ve seen many of these routines before. I know a lot of people are getting burnt out on Ferrell’s comedy, and I’ll admit that I didn’t laugh as much as I expected to at some of his usual antics. At the same time, he always seems to hit you with something completely random at just the right moment. I don’t agree that Ferrell’s movies are offering diminishing returns, because Step Brothers still ranks up there among his best.

Now, one thing that might have rounded out the movie a little more is a larger supporting cast — not just in terms of other big name actors, but also a few more amusing characters for Ferrell and Reilly to interact with. After all, the depth of the supporting cast is a big part of what made Anchorman so memorable. Adam Scott was pretty funny as Brennan’s cocky and successful younger brother Derek, while Andrea Savage was great as his repressed wife. Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen were okay as their parents, but they didn’t really add a lot to the proceedings. Seth Rogen makes a surprise cameo, and SNL’s Horatio Sanz has a short but stellar role as the lead singer of a Billy Joel cover band (but only 80’s era Billy Joel).

The cool thing about Adam McKay/Will Ferrell movies is that when they collaborate, it feels like their primary goal is not to make money or even make audiences laugh necessarily, but rather to make each other laugh. Their close working relationship allows for a lot of improvisation and collaboration, and you can tell they love doing it. The atmosphere it generates is infectious, even if the movie feels a bit haphazard, like a series of connected videos from their Funny Or Die website. The resulting jokes are not always the most accessible, but they are most certainly unpredictable and (depending on your sense of humour) downright hilarious.

I can understand why these movies aren’t adored by everyone, but at the same time, there are enough broad laughs in Step Brothers that I think it will satisfy most moviegoers. One scene involving Will Ferrell’s junk and John C. Reilly’s drum set is sure to get folks talking around the water cooler. There are also some stand out musical scenes, in particular a home-made rap video called “Boats N Hoes”.

2008 hasn’t really been a big year for comedies thus far, but as of right now, I’d say Step Brothers is neck and neck with Forgetting Sarah Marshall as the funniest movie of the year. I also think it is a movie that will get better with repeat viewings. If you’ve already written off Will Ferrell, you can probably sit this one out, but if you’re a fan of Ferrell and McKay’s previous work, Step Brothers is absolutely worth the price of admission. — Sean

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Recommended If You Like: Talladega Nights, Billy Madison, Wedding Crashers