rating:
(out of
4 stars)United Kingdom; 2008
Directed by Adam McKay; produced by Judd Apatow, Jimmy Miller; screenplay by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay
Starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, Seth Rogen,
The first thirty minutes of 'Step Brothers' are not particularly funny or amusing. Although I never would, parts of me wanted to leave this film and watch something interesting, or even something else starring either Will Ferrell or John C. Reilly. During this first half hour their characters hate each other. Once they are starting to become friends the film does not get really good, but at least the occasional smile was brought to my face. Hey, I even laughed a couple of times.
The film starts with two middle-aged people falling in love. Nancy (Mary Steenburgen) moves in with Robert (Richard Jenkins), both bringing their kids. Of course, they are 40 years old. Brennan (Will Ferrell), Nancy's son, hates Dale (John C. Reilly), who on his turn hates Brennan. The first thirty minutes I mentioned are filled with their childish fights. Then Brennan's brother Derek (Adam Scott) arrives with his wife Alice (Kathryn Hahn) and their two children. Derek is the kind of guy you want to punch in the face from the moment he starts talking. Dale does. Brennan and Dale become friends, and even best friends when they realize they are equally dumb.
Now the story involves the childish games they do together, how this is driving their parents crazy and how they eventually split up because of them. These later scenes are a little funnier, although it shows that Ferrell and director Adam McKay, both responsible for the screenplay, are willing to go anywhere for a laugh. Of course this was the case with their earlier collaborations ('Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy' and 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby', also starring John C. Reilly), but those were actually funny. At least more than 'Step Brothers'.
John C. Reilly's latest appearances in comedy were entertaining enough to recommend the film. Now it seems he has gone one step too far, or maybe just one step too repetitious. In both McKay's films he plays a similar character, and in 'Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story' he was not that different either. Ferrell also has repeated the same kind of tricks for quite some time now, with 'Stranger Than Fiction' as the welcome exception in 2006. Both actors should change their game when it comes to comedy. This film proves the formula does not really work anymore.
To conclude things, 'Step Brothers' is a Judd Apatow production (like 'The 40 Year Old Virgin', 'Knocked Up', 'Superbad' and 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall') but it does not deserve his name on the credits.