Review: STEP BROTHERS

Absolutely stupid humor. Over the top, ridiculous stuff. F-bombs and well, balls, aplenty. If you’re not a fan of these kind of things and that sort of humor, this movie is not for you. But if you like your Billy Madison’s and Anchorman’s, this is classic cinematic pleasure. This movie is downright hilarious and give credit to Will Ferrell: he’s taken a lot of heat for some of his semi-serious roles and his latest bomb, Semi-Pro (which I thought was alright). He sat down with buddy Adam McKay (director of two of Ferrell’s betters: Anchorman and Talladega Nights) and made an in your face, line after line, hilarious movie.

They casted Nights co-star John C. Reilly and all I can say is: perfect. Ferrell and Reilly play off each other better than ever, and unlike their previous screen adventure, this time its an R-rated picture: a lot more ground to cover for the duo. But maybe one of the best parts about this movie, is that it didn’t try to be touching or anything more than it was. They didn’t try and make the wedding more than it was, instead it was quick and filled with very funny quick moments. Throughout the movie, scenes that other comedians could have skewed into “aww”, “touching” moments (I’m looking at you Sandler…), Step Brothers faced with vulgar, hilarious comedy.

Ferrell & Reilly: the perfect match (Photo: collider.com)

The movie opens quickly with Dale (Reilly) and Brennan’s (Ferrell) parents (Richard Jenkins - Dale’s dad, Mary Steenburgen, Brennan’s mom) finding love and tying the knot. By the time the opening credits end, that part of the movie is done and you’re kick started into the initial step brother feud. One of the first moments you realize this is a damn funny movie is the family’s first dinner together at their house. Complete silence for a while before Dale and Brennan go back and forth, ending with a teary eyed Brennan fighting back a crying fit. These 39 and 40 year olds truly act like little children from the very start.

What makes this movie though is the R-rating, pushing it past previous efforts like Nights or Blades of Glory. Ferrell, Reilly, and surprisingly enough, Jenkins and Steenburgen curse like crazy which is funny in its’ own right. The brothers wars against each other are juvenile and never ending, and by the time they realize they’re friends, not enemies, “Dragon” and “Nighthawk” (their self-given nicknames) are on to bigger and better things.

Step Brothers is your classic Will Ferrell kind of movie. Lots of physical humor (Dale and Brennan’s attire alone is worth the paid admission), hilariously dirty jokes, and strange but amazingly successful plot points. But as I noted earlier, Ferrell doesn’t steal the show at all. John C. Reilly is a fantastic dramatic actor as he’s shown in the past, but his friendship with Ferrell has given him the chance to showcase his comedic side which is just as good as his serious side, if not better. Hilarious roles from Rob Riggle and Adam Scott (who had a very brief and funny role in Knocked Up) make it that much better, and cameos from Seth Rogen, Matt Walsh, Horatio Sanz, and Ken Jeong (uptight gynecologist in Knocked Up) round out a very full and very funny cast.

Oh, and stay for the end credits, trust me.

STEP BROTHERS: (out of 4 stars)