|
Barbara
Walters, Oprah, your wife. You gotta fuck one, kill one, and marry one,
go!
As a fan of Will
Ferrell, the comedian, my opinion may be biased towards this film. Back
in his Saturday Night Live days I looked forward to his comedic timing
in the ‘Blue Oyster Cult: Need more cowbell’ skit and his awkward
impersonation of Harry Caray in the ‘Space: The Infinite Frontier’
piece. That’s not to say I’m a die hard fan of all of his movies, but I
do think Ferrell’s involvement in them is always worth the price of a
movie ticket. In the case of Step Brothers I was a fan, and I
eagerly anticipated this movie’s release in both theaters and on DVD.
The film follows the interactions of two immature forty-something’s
(Will Ferrell as Brennan Huff and John C. Reilly as Dale Doback) as they
antagonize and eventually befriend each other.
|
The timing of
the opening twenty minutes was textbook comedy. Both
characters are spotlighted separately, living off of their
parents (Mary Steenburgen as Nancy Huff and Richard Jenkins
as Dr. Robert Doback) and making an art form out of being
losers. The plot follows the meeting and marriage of Nancy
and Robert as their respective sons complain of their
parents’ union before finally encountering one another on
Dr. Doback’s front lawn. Everything in the opening seemed to
flow together seamlessly and I found myself excited to watch
the two meet. |
|
 |
The rest of the movie
focuses on the hijinks, both constructive and destructive, of Dale and
Brennan as they get to know their new step-sibling. Some of the
constructive highlights include the alliance the two form against Derek,
Brennan’s younger hemorrhoid of a brother (Adam Scott), and the
development of their entertainment agency, ‘Prestige Worldwide’. Their
destructive antics range from Dale crushing Brennan with a makeshift
bunk bed to Brennan’s classic, if not disturbing, drum set teabagging.
The two play off of each other like the veteran entertainers they are
and made the film a fun watch for the entire audience.
The supporting cast is
also key in making this comedy work. Steenburgen and Jenkins play their
roles as frustrated parents well and are the necessary ‘straight man’ to
Ferrell and Reilly’s outlandish routine. Adam Scott plays such a great
dickhead as Brennan’s brother that I can see myself hating him in future
non-comedic roles. Small parts played by comedian Rob Riggle (Derek’s
friend) and actress Kathryn Hahn (Derek’s wife) undeniably add to the
overall humor. I can honestly say the movie would not have been as
satisfying without them.
That being said I
can see how viewers could tire of watching Brennan and Dale act like
children with no real objections from their parents. This goes on
throughout most of the movie and, despite my favorable review, I found
myself being annoyed at why their parents put up with them for so long.
The whole ‘grown men acting like children’ concept goes too far at times
when the two get grounded or spanked for their immature behaviors.
Just as Will
Ferrell’s SNL skits always seemed to make me laugh, his hand in Step
Brothers followed the same formula for my particular brand of humor.
I enjoyed watching Ferrell and Reilly’s comedic exchanges in theaters
but became even more a fan after watching the movie on DVD over and over
again with friends – there always seemed to be something new to laugh
at. Like previous Ferrell movies (Anchorman and Old School),
this is definitely the type of movie I could see my friends and I
quoting for the year to come.
|
