|
Step Brothers
Director:
Adam McKay
Starring:
Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, Adam
Scott
 I'm
going to come right out and say it: I like Will Ferrell and enjoy his
movies. There's something about his antics that resonate with me,
much like Jim Carrey did when I was growing up. I enjoyed Blades
of Glory. I shouldn't
have enjoyed Semi-Pro,
but I did. I even hail Stranger
Than Fiction as one of
the best films of 2006. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking
I've lost the plot. You've taken the door that is the 'Back' button
on your browser and never returning to read my reviews ever again. I
know a midget has permanently taken residence in a dumpster in fear.
To be honest, all who know me know I'm about 63.4% crazy, and that's
probably why Mr. Ferrell appeals to me. Okay, I do have a tolerance
for HOW MANY TIMES HE CAN SCREAM A JOKE SO THAT IT GOES PAST FUNNY,
but, yeah, I giggle and laugh like a small kid first hearing the word
'sex' at many of his gags.
The reason I'm coming out with this
confession is because it should let you know what kind of audience
perspective I've viewing the film with. Will Ferrell is an divisive
comedian and while some find him to be tedious, stale and contrived,
people like myself find themselves in stitches. To be fair, I do
appreciate those who don't like Ferrell. I have had a few moments
like that myself in some of his lesser movies. Granted, I haven't
seen A Night at the
Roxbury, but I'm pretty
sure it is terrible. No, I'm talking about the two stinkers in 2005,
Bewitched and
Kicking and Screaming,
both of which had horribly unfunny scripts which ended up using
Ferrell, in screaming mode and cranked up to eleven, to desperately
get some laughs. And when Ferrell is exposed like that, it can be
quite painful to watch – mostly because it is a sure sign that
the director has no idea when you pull the leash on their star. It's
happen to other comedians too – Jim Carrey's aggressively
unfunny turn in Ace
Ventura: When Nature Calls comes
to mind.
Thankfully, Ferrell is not only on
top form here, but he's with the guy who thinks on exactly Ferrell's
wavelength, Adam McKay. The pair made Anchorman:
The Legend of Ron Burgendy (arguably
Ferrell's best movie to date) and Talladega
Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
This time around, the set-up is even simpler than their last two
films: Brennan (Ferrell) and Dale (John C. Reilly, re-teaming with
Ferrell after Talladega)
have just become step brothers after their single parents (Richard
Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen) get married. Chaos ensues and soon they
have to face the thing both of them have been putting off for 40
years: maturity. There's a bit of a plot knocking around, but it
comes and goes as it pleases.
Obviously, this being the third
pairing between actor and director, they've decided to shake things
up a bit. They've answered to their critics on Talladega
Nights, who thought the
plot got in the way of good gags (like me, for instance) and return
to the more flexible style exhibited in Anchorman.
Also, John C. Reilly, whose comic ability was finally revealed to the
world in Talladega Nights
now gets equal screen time with the
lead, making this more of a buddy movie. Indeed, one of the best
things about that movie was Reilly and Ferrell's unfortunately all
too infrequent meeting of the not so able-minded, so that's welcome
from me. They've also changed the stakes a bit – after playing
safe for a teen-friendly audience, the pair have decided to play for
a more mature (in age, but not in spirit) audience. This does have
the benefit of keeping things fresh as it allows Ferrell and Reilly
to really explore the comedy in their situation freely. The downside
is that the film does have a tendency to use four-letter words for
the sake of using them (in particular, Jenkins) rather than trying to
be funny. I also didn't know when I was paying £4.40 to see
this that I was paying for the privilege of seeing Will Ferrell's
ballsack. That some nightmare fuel for the winter nights, I'm telling
you.
That in mind, they have made the
freshest, most insane Will Ferrell comedy since Anchorman.
I laughed a lot. I mean I giggled shamelessly, no doubt due to the
fact I saw this on my own with no one to nudge me when I did so too
embarrassingly. Although not quite on the level with that movie,
there are numerous comic set-ups that will have you in stitches. I
won't give too much away, so I'll just mention the key things
involved in each: bunk beds, playground bullies and a drum kit. The
reason I say it is not on the level of Anchorman
is because the hit-rate is not quite
as high. In particular, a recurring gag about the step brothers
sleepwalking just doesn't work. All the elements are in place, but it
just doesn't work. I'm not entirely sure why it doesn't either, I
just know that the fairly reactive audience I saw this with weren't
laughing either.
I tend to judge comedies based on
how much I laugh during the movie, because that is exactly what
comedies want you to do, so you might have to excuse my score on this
one. If you're a hardcore Ferrell fan, add an extra star to the
score. If you loathe Ferrell take 1.5 away. But in my eyes, this is
almost like a step brother (sorry) to Dumb
and Dumber in that they
are both hilariously funny magnum opuses of stupid, crude, idiotic
and downright bizarre behaviour. While not all Step
Brothers works, it is a
very strong comedy that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you've seen the
poster and the trailer, you know exactly what to expect out of this
one. For those with an immature sense of humour, it is a must see.
4/5
This article was done by Film Brain
Donating gives you access to the Premium Member Download Area, where you can download full Episodes in MPG and IPOD Video formats. You also get access to Extras, Bloopers and Commentaries!
Donate today and help keep this site running, cause it's damn expensive! |
|
You can view copyright info here |
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
