In a summer filled with the usual nonstop action-packed blockbusters, it’s good to have a lighthearted comedy around to provide some much needed levity. Although Will Ferrell movies are generally a crapshoot for me, I thought the premise of Step Brothers sounded promising: two 40-year-old men who still live at home suddenly find themselves forced to move in together when their parents get married. In an age where adult children living at home isn’t all that uncommon anymore, this setup could have led to tons of smart jokes, big laughs and great gags. But the writers (Ferrell and Adam McKay) went for juvenile humor at nearly every turn, making the film into another average comedy.
Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Dr. Robert Doback (played by Richard Jenkins) and Nancy Huff (Mary Steenburgen) meet at a medical conference and soon end up in bed together. They discover that they have a great deal in common — including the fact that they each have an adult son who is unemployed and still lives at home. Thus, something that ordinarily would be a deal-breaker in other relationships, bonds Robert and Nancy together. They eventually get married.
This means that Nancy and her son Brennan (Ferrell) must move in with Robert and his son Dale (John C. Reilly). Brennan and Dale distrust and dislike each other at first sight. They both have their own quirks and habits, and don’t like the idea of having to modify their behavior due to the new living arrangement. Things are made even more complicated when they have to share a bedroom, since Dale uses the spare room for his treasured drum kit.
The two men spend a lot of time antagonizing each other and getting into ridiculous spats. They act more like spoiled 10-year-olds than grown men, and their behavior starts to take a toll on Robert and Nancy’s relationship. Even when Brennan and Dale grudgingly accept each other and admit that they’re far more alike than they realized, they still find ways to screw everything up. The final straw comes when they smash Robert’s beloved sailboat while filming a cheesy sales video. Robert ends up leaving Nancy because of that.
The separation and impending divorce finally kick Brennan and Dale into gear. They clean up their act, get jobs, and try to turn their lives around in a desperate attempt to save Robert and Nancy’s marriage.
My Reaction: As I said above, I thought Step Brothers had a lot of potential for big laughs. There were a couple along the way, (the nut sac sight gag stands out long after the credits roll), but on the whole, I thought the writers and actors went in the wrong direction many times.
For instance, it was dumb to have Brennan and Dale act like pouty little kids for more than half the movie, as that took me right out of the story. These men weren’t mentally challenged or anything, so it didn’t make sense that they would speak and behave like they were in elementary school in some scenes, and then seamless transform into full-grown men in others. It was just a weird choice in characterization.
Also, some of Brennan and Dale’s actions had me shaking my head in utter disbelief. Specifically, there’s no way in hell two men of their size and stature would allow a gang of grade-schoolers to bully them so much. Again, unless there was supposed to be a mental disability in play, I simply couldn’t see that confrontation scene happening in a million years.
Fortunately, these problems weren’t enough to completely derail Step Brothers. It was actually more fun than not, and at least the writers didn’t make the mistake of sticking to one recurring (and often lame) joke that crops up throughout the movie — a trend that I find highly annoying in most cases.
Overall, Step Brothers isn’t going to be remembered as a great comedy, but it’s good enough for a lightweight summer flick. I give it 5.5 stars out of 10.
Whew, I just finished watching the rest of Season 4 of Without a Trace. It took me several months to get through the season because honestly this isn’t one of my favorite shows anymore. The storylines have been pretty boring all season long and I can’t stand the new agent Elena Delgado. Since it looks like she’s going to be sticking around for a while, I might just call it quits right now.