Step Brothers (2008)
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Step Brothers Movie Review
Step Brothers is a 2008 comedy film directed by Adam McKay and starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. It is such a funny, often laugh-out-loud comedy.
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“I’m going to take a pillowcase and fill it full of
bars of soap and beat the shit out of you!“
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Brennan and Dale, two middle-aged men who still live with their parents, are forced to stay under the same roof together when Brennan’s mother marries Dale’s father. The two at first hate each other and fight constantly, but eventually they become great pals. This is one of the most underrated comedies of the decade. Critics were too harsh toward it, proving once again that they don’t understand this genre.
The premise of two 40-year-old men behaving like children can be off-putting to some, but it is executed so well that it undoubtedly made me smile and laugh. The movie has a huge heart and a great message that is universal – we should never forget to have fun even as adults. Retaining your childlike hobbies and tendencies is an invaluable asset in maintaining happiness as an adult.
Step Brothers features excellent casting. Type casting for sure, but when these actors are so good at playing childish adults, they should be cast in these roles every single time. Will Ferrell was the more childish of the two and he was particularly funny in his over-the-top reactions, including screaming and crying like a small kid. John C. Reilly was the smarter of the two, but not by much. He was so funny as well and particularly terrific at physical humor.
The two shared excellent chemistry together, so it’s easy to see why they performed together in multiple films throughout their careers. But others need to be praised as well. Adam Scott was well cast as a successful douchebag brother to Ferrell while Kathryn Hahn absolutely killed it playing his unhappy wife. Her flirtations with Reilly were hilarious. Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins were also phenomenal as the parents. How they ultimately supported their man-child sons was unrealistic, but very inspiring.
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Step Brothers did move at times into that unfortunate gross-out territory that was simply unnecessary for what was otherwise a wholesome family comedy in a way. The dog poop gag was particularly grotesque and done in poor taste. The ending was too predictable, though undeniably heartwarming. Still, most of the jokes were so well pulled off and the movie was consistently hilarious and believable too. It really gets how children, especially boys behave. And putting that behavior into two adults was inherently funny. The two fighting each other and arguing was very amusing with the childish dialogue being on-point. The insults thrown at the dinner table made for the best scene in the flick.
Step Brothers is an underrated, laugh-out-loud comedy that really works. The movie did have a conventional ending and some gross-out scenes were unnecessary, but overall it served as this delightfully wholesome family comedy that executed its man-child premise mostly phenomenally. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly were perfectly cast and their chemistry was fantastic here. Others also impressed in smaller roles – Kathryn Hahn delivered her funniest performance to date while Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins were wonderful as the parents.
My Rating – 4
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