Posted: Tuesday 26th August 2008

Reviewed by Jason Palmer

Will Ferrell is Brennan Huff. 39 years old and unemployed he lives with his mother Nancy (Mary Steenburgen) whilst flirting with non-descript jobs that don't last very long. Directionless, he enjoys his time at home being mothered and basically not doing anything productive. Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) is even worse than Brennan. Also 39 years of age he mooches off the success of his father Dr Robert Doback (Richard Jenkins) by staying at home in his own little world. He dreams of being a drummer but has no drive to accomplish anything in his life. When Dr Doback is away on business he meets Nancy at a medical lecture and the two hit it off immediately. They get on so well that they decide to get married! With Robert owning the bigger house Nancy and a very angry Brennan move in, much to Dale's dismay. With Dale and Brennan hating each other from the get-go, can the two men survive living with one another long enough for their parents to enjoy their new relationship or will their sibling rivalries rule the roost now that they are forced to be step brothers?

Will Ferrell is a comedy genius. He has had some misses in his past (Bewitched being a particular low point) but once again he proves he is the go-to guy when it comes to comedy in Hollywood. Not content with starring in Step Brothers, he also lends a hand with story, screenplay and executive producer credits. You can tell by the film's premise that Step Brothers isn't going to be a strong advocate of high-brow subtlety. It nonetheless delivers in a juvenile tale of sibling rivalries that in parts will have you in tears. Ferrell once again recaptures the charm of his other classics like Anchorman and Talladega Nights as the hapless Brennan. He is given more than ample support by the impressive John C. Reilly who matches Ferrell's adolescent madness at every level. What we are left with is two grown men behaving like 12 year olds and it's hysterical. From the moment they meet and Dale insists that Brennan call him Dragon whilst Brennan wants to be called Nighthawk you know this is going to get silly. But it has a level of sentimentality too which works really well amongst the chaos. The brothers share a common hatred and are soon unlikely allies and that's when it gets really funny. Their attempt at bedtime to attach their two full size single beds together using nails and belts is just so funny. You can see the punch line coming a mile off but that doesn't do anything to disrupt the outcome. Another highlight is when Dale reveals why he takes the long way home after 4pm (he's being bullied by 10 year olds in the local park). The two leads are given room to work off one another and we are left to watch the fun that ensues. Judd Apatow, responsible for The 40 Year Old Virgin (high point) and You Don't Mess with the Zohan (a very, very low point) does a great job as co-producer. Along with director Adam McKay they play to both actors' strengths and the film is better off for it.

Adam Scott does a scene stealing job as Brennan's slimy blood brother Derek and when you consider that he is up against Ferrell and Reilly in the comedy stakes, that's quite an achievement. His obnoxious take as the favourite, successful brother of the Huff clan with the perfect family is hilarious (especially a scene involving them all harmonizing to Sweet Child of Mine by Guns n' Roses). His wife Alice (Kathryn Hahn - Win a Date with Tad Hamilton) also provides a lot of funny moments as she tries to break away from Derek and into the confused arms of Dale. The supporting cast are rounded off nicely by Mary Steenburgen (Back to the Future III) and Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under). Jenkins in particular, who must be one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood with his impressive CV, does a great job trying to keep his boys from killing one another and plays the straight man to the physical comedy perfectly.

If you don't like profanity avoid this movie because it's covered with swear words dripping from every corner. Mostly crude, it fits in with the notion that these two 39 year olds are acting just like kids. A lot of the early scenes also looked like they were ad-libbed so some of the banter thrown about is bizarre in places but still very amusing. It does falter a tad towards the middle but there is enough frivolity to keep the engines chugging to the end set piece. If you like Will Ferrell you will like this movie it's as simple as that. A lot of people don't seem to get his comedy but I love it and this didn't disappoint me at all.

It may not quite hit the highs of Anchorman or Talladega Nights but Step Brothers joins alumni such as Blades of Glory and the very harshly treated Semi Pro as one of Will Ferrell's finest moments. Stupidly absurd and great escapist fun, it really shouldn't be missed. And there's even another strong musical number performed by Will Ferrell toward the end of the film (much like he did in Semi Pro) which shows off his musical prowess. Is there no end to this man's talents? Well worth stumping up cash for, you're guaranteed to leave the cinema happy if you see Step Brothers and it's definitely one of the best comedies of 2008.