Step Brothers
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Directed by: Adam McKay
Starring:
Will Ferrell - Brennan Huff
John C. Reilly - Dale Doback
Mary Steenburgen - Nancy Huff
Richard Jenkins - Dr. Robert Doback
Adam Scott - Derek
Kathryn Hahn - Alice
Rob Riggle - Randy
A punchline just doesn't work as well when you know it before the joke is even told. Sure, there's comedy in anticipation, but a joke you can't predict will be not only funnier but more memorable. Will Ferrell and to a lesser extent John C. Reilly have become jokes with known punchlines. They excel at playing man-children; they are Homer Simpson-incarnate. Their characters are loud, boorish, have zero self-awareness, and we love them for it. Their new film Step Brothers is the loosest of plots to showcase these well-worn personas and while I still find the act amusing, everything that's memorable and painfully funny belongs to members of the supporting cast.
Brennan (Ferrell) and Dale (Reilly) are disturbingly immature adults who become step brothers when Brennan's mom (Mary Steenburgen) and Dale's dad (Richard Jenkins) marry. Using essentially the same premise and just a different approach, Step Brothers could just as easily be a disturbing Todd Solondz film as it is a broad summer comedy. If Ferrell and Reilly weren't so charming, this film could easily be too creepy or too pathetic to be funny. But they're masters at their craft. What's disappointing is that we've seen all their tricks. And unlike Ferrell and co-writer/director Adam McKay's previous efforts, Anchorman and Talladega Nights, there are no distinct characters with maybe the exception of Brennan's brother Derek (Adam Scott) and his wife Alice (Kathryn Hahn).
I found myself wanting to see a film about Derek and Alice more than the socially retarded Brennan and Dale. Adam Scott plays the epitome of white, male, upper-middle-class douchebaggery to perfection and Hahn is a comic gem that's clearly been hidden for far too long. Other supporting players including Jenkins and Rob Riggle are equally strong I can still quote you their memorable lines a week after seeing the film. I remember laughing at Ferrell and Reilly's riffing but I can't tell you one memorable line from either lead. There is no, "Milk was a bad choice,"
If you haven't grown tired of Ferrell's antics, then Step Brothers will have you laughing steadily throughout but it's mostly reflex laughter. These guys are just naturally funny but it seems more like they're doing it for themselves rather than coming up with some memorable jokes and set-ups. It's enjoyable but the reason you should see the film isn't for the title characters. It's for comedians who have crafted absurd characters you haven't seen before and won't forget once you leave the theatre.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
7.22.08