Film Review

09 January 2009 22:52 BST

Step Brothers

Directed by Adam McKay, out August 29th, starring Will Ferrell, John C Reilly, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins, running time 98 mins.

In a nutshell...

The kids really do grow up fast!

What's it all about?

Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) is a 39-year-old who has never left home and lives with his divorced mother, Nancy Huff (Mary Steenburgen). Dale Doback (John C Reilly) is a 40-year-old who also has never left home and lives with his widower father, Dr Robert Doback (Richard Jenkins). The two men have been living with their parents their whole lives and are both unemployed. When Nancy meets Robert and they fall in love, marry, and move into Robert's home, the two sons are forced to live together in the same room as step brothers. Brennan and Dale initially hate each other; however, over time the two realise they have more in common than they originally thought. They are like 12-year-olds trapped in adult bodies. Two men who haven't grown up and live in their own little worlds. They become best friends, and act like young siblings but when their parents decide to kick them out, the pair's lives are about to change - it is time to grow up!



Who's in it?

Will Ferrell, star of Anchorman and Blades of Glory plays the step brother of John C Reilly, continuing his move from acclaimed character acting into comedy after Talladega Nights and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Again they both play typical roles of characters that eventually have a revelation that things need to change. Adam McKay's excellent directing ability and pursuit of humor makes the film a unique but awe-inspiring movie. The combination of actors never fails to make you laugh but often to the point of cringing. This is a fine line and McKay can go a little too far with some jokes misfiring as they show how inappropriate these men are.

As an example...

"Brennan has a man-gina!" - chanted by the football team as Brennan sings.

Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars

It's set for mixed reviews. If it is taken with a pinch of salt, some will find it hilarious and others will think it is over the top and cringeworthy.

What the others say

"Producer Judd Apatow (does this guy ever sleep?) calls Step Brothers a 'demented version of The Parent Trap - with dick jokes'." Rolling Stone

"Tends towards repetitious and over the top crude antics." - newsblaze.com

So is it any good?

The film neatly encapsulates what a lot of men would become if they never grew up - continually living a child's existence in a man's body with their overly supportive parents waiting on their every whim. Brennan's brother Derek is the absolute opposite and this polar balance shows the extreme problems with both.

The film is verging on stupidity but has enough laughs and twists to keep you interested. Most of the jokes are completely cringeworthy and some people may hate this aspect. Overall McKay has pulled it out of the bag again, although I wouldn't recommend for anyone easily offended - he always manages to take a joke a little too far.

The ending could have been better as the relationship Brennan develops with his psychiatrists is a bit warped. It is also not really clear if they have grown up at all or if it was all a ploy to regress to their initial state.

8/10

Orla Brady

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