Hey guys, thanks for checking out our Step Brothers review! I was uncertain about how this film would fly after the let down that was Semi Pro, so I tried to keep my expectations low. Mixed reviews were also swirling about Comic Con so I was curious on where i would sit within the spectrum. So without further ado, here is my Step Brothers review!
The General Idea
Two spoiled guys become competitive stepbrothers after their single parents get hitched.
The Good
This film was completely outlandish and totally absurd; I welcomed the nonsense with open arms. Will Ferell’s best work has always been when he delves deep into the caves of the ridiculous, and this film gave him an opportunity to excel at what he does best. As a man that loves the absurd, I was laughing loudly throughout the entire film.
Every actor in the film did an outstanding job with their characters. Will and John C. had amazing chemistry and were able to riff off of one another brilliantly. Mary Steenburgen was perfect as a doting mother that was trying to gently encourage the boys into manhood and Richard Jenkins plays a father at wit’s end who has all but given up hope on his adult children. The family works as the “straight man” for much of this film and they do an outstanding job. I want to go into many of the details about their family interaction, but I don’t want to spoil any surprises for anyone.
This film was crass and was better for it. When the mother stared to swear out of sheer frustration it was so damn funny, and there is no way they could have gotten as crazy as they did without the R rating. Letting these comedic mustangs roam free in the plain of Restriction was the correct choice.
The Bad
The film follows a formulaic plot and turns out exactly like you would expect it to. The journey is so ridiculous however, that this never really bothered me at all. In fact it was so outlandish in its delivery that the formula of problem, resolution, problem, solution was itself mocked along with everything else. I didn’t dislike much about his film, so I am reaching here.
Overall
I loved this movie, and am glad this crew made a film that suited their tastes and strengths. This is a movie that may divide people 50/50; and that suits me just fine. I thought Step Brothers was excellent and gladly give it an 8 out of 10. I laughed my ass off non stop for the entire film and look forward to discussing it with all of you! For fans of Will Ferrell’s more bizarre SNL sketches – you will be in for a treat.
