Step Brothers (I've Finally Seen It!)

The creative team of Adam McKay and Will Ferrell has resulted in some truly hilarious comedies in the last decade. The worlds they create are often incredibly absurd, and most of the writing is often determined to increase the insanity from one scene to the next. Their films are rich in improvisation, and when it works it’s incredibly funny.  When it doesn’t, it can slow the film to an absolute halt. That said, films such as Anchorman and The Other Guys have been able to adequately tickle America’s funny bone, me included. However, Step Brothers is the weakest and most inconsistent of their work.

When we begin we meet Brennan and Dale, played by Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, respectively. Brennan, 39, lives with his generous mother played by Mary Steenburgen. Meanwhile, Dale, 40, lives with his father Richard Jenkins. When their two parents meet and get married, Brennan and Dale become stepbrothers. Let the hijinks begin!

One of the producers of Step Brothers was Judd Apatow, who has made a living out of producing, writing and directing films about various men stuck perpetually in adolescence. Step Brothers takes this premise and makes it as literal as humanly possible. Dale and Brennan are not your normal middle-aged men. They behave like children at every turn, acting as crudely as humanly possible. It’s hard to believe these characters ever received any education.

Most Ferrell/McKay characters are enjoyably kooky, allowing viewers to find a way in. Step Brothers doesn’t make it so easy. There’s no one here to really get behind, whether it be the petulant leads, the cartoonish parents, or Adam Scott’s successful, arrogant brother who drops in just to make fun of everyone. In fact, most of the characters in Step Brothers are downright repellant.

Despite all this, the film still works relatively well from a comedic perspective. There are genuine laugh-out-loud moments, but too often they feel shallow. The humor in Step Brothers is too often manufactured, and very little of it feels as if it is natural. Films like Anchorman and The Other Guys work because the characters are fun to watch, and the humor comes out of that. Here McKay, Ferrell and the rest of the cast feel they have to reach into an alternate and strange dimension to make the audience laugh. At times, they almost get away with it. Step Brothers can be funny because individual moments are funny, not because the film itself is funny. The premise is decent, but it doesn’t pan out.

Rating:  (out of 4)