No one can play a 40-year-old obliviously immature man-child like Will Ferrell. Ferrell's
Talladega Nights and
Step Brothers partner in crime, John C Reilly, is pretty close, but Ferrell's the current title holder (
Adam Sandler used to be however he seems to have moved on to more obnoxious roles). After a couple of hugely disappointing 'comedies',
Step Brothers provides the king of immature characters with material that's right in his wheelhouse. And while
Step Brothers isn't a home run by any stretch of the imagination, it is a solid double that shows Ferrell's back in the game.
With his
Anchorman and
Talladega Nights director Adam McKay at the helm, and working off a script he co-wrote with McKay, Ferrell's reconnected with what's funny. Yes, it's total lowbrow humor – fart jokes, penis and poop gags, and put-downs 13-year-old boys would come up with – but Ferrell and McKay know how far they can push gross-out gags and sophomoric humor before they lose their audience.
The Story
Ferrell and Reilly play Brennan Huff and Dale Doback, two middle-aged slackers raised separately by the most patient single parents on the planet. If asked, both Brennan and Dale would say they're living the good life – no jobs, no goals, no worries. Brennan and Dale are perfectly satisfied with sleeping in, watching TV, and not collecting a paycheck, but their parents have other plans. When Brennan's mom, Nancy (Mary Steenburgen), and Dale's dad, Robert (Richard Jenkins), fall in love and marry, the idea of having two grown men laze around the house wears thin, especially when the men hate each other with a passion. Dale doesn't want to share his bedroom – or his drums – with this stranger. Brennan's equally unhappy about his mom's decision to merge their family with that of the Dobacks.
Will Ferrell, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins, and John C Reilly in Step Brothers.
© Columbia Pictures
After taking an immediate dislike to one another, Brennan and Dale are forced into an uneasy alliance when their parental units decide it's time to send them out into the world. How dare mom and dad push them into acting like adults? What's the world coming to when two 40-year-old guys can't sit home watching Shark Week without fear of having to find a job, an apartment, and a life? Discovering they have a lot more in common than not, Brennan and Dale come up with a plan of attack that involves singing, drumming, and Robert's prize possession – the boat he intends to sail around the world when he and Nancy retire. You just know this isn't going to end well...
The Cast
The smartest decision made by Ferrell, McKay and Reilly was to go authentic and have the lead characters be in their 40s. Step Brothers would have entered ridiculously stupid territory had Ferrell and Reilly tried to play them younger, although the jokes themselves play to all ages (as long as you're into this sort of humor). And while watching Ferrell and Reilly play emotionally stunted men evokes a feeling of déjà vu, these guys pull it off because they're obviously having a blast working off of each other.
Adam Scott (
August) co-stars as Brennan's uber-successful narcissistic brother, Derek. Derek terrorized Brennan when they were kids and, as adults, Derek continues to be the thorn in his brother's flabby side. Scott had a minor role in Judd Apatow's
Knocked Up and with much more screen time in this Apatow-produced comedy, Scott steals a few scenes from Ferrell and Reilly. Also stealing the spotlight while delivering some of the film's best lines is
Crossing Jordan's Kathryn Hahn playing Derek's neglected wife, Alice. Hahn is absolutely hilarious as the lecherous sister-in-law who seduces the virginal Dale after he takes her thoughtless husband down a notch or two.
Will Ferrell and John C Reilly in Step Brothers.
© Columbia Pictures
For all its crass humor and silly dialogue, Step Brothers has a surprising amount of heart and a genuinely touching message. The team of McKay and Ferrell focus on the goofy, childish maneuverings of Brennan and Dale, but they've added a twist at the end that's uplifting yet not completely out of touch with the rest of the production.
Ferrell and Reilly make the best of playing totally clueless guys caught in an '80ish time warp. And while Step Brothers isn't in the same league as Anchorman or even Talladega Nights, it is a huge leap above Ferrell's semi-comedy, Semi Pro.
GRADE: B/B-
Step Brothers was directed by Adam McKay and is rated R for crude and sexual content, and pervasive language.
