Step Brothers

Not the greatest Ferrell film of recent times, but a worthy addition to the collection of insane, man-child characterisations that he seems to have made his own.
Brennan Huff (Ferrell) and Dale Doback (Reilly) are two forty-something losers: men who’ve never left home and never mentally grown out of teenage life. When their two parents marry, they become step-brothers and mortal enemies – their childishness and idiocy brought to the fore in the most ridiculous scenarios possible.

Ferrell and Reilly are really just let off the leash and allowed to act like kids – that’s probably why they’re so ridiculously funny. Will Ferrell appears to have carved a niche for these roles – Ron Burgundy, Jackie Moon and Ricky Bobby are all shades of the same inane, stupid character that now manifests as Brennan Huff. The strength of his performance relies on its opposition to Reilly’s, and Dale Doback presents himself, like Cal Noughton, as the stupid foil to Ferrell’s insane performance. Thing is, neither are that believable – and with the superiority of characters like Burgundy, it’s hard to see why Ferrell doesn’t stretch his humour a lot more. Richard Jenkins is worthy of praise though; as Dale’s long suffering father Robert, he explodes at the most bizarre times, and his face seems to indicate that every year he’s put up with this has taken a toll!

Mary Steenburgen plays Brennan’s mother Nancy, and she gives a little calm to the proceedings; which, in many scenes, only increases the laughter of a situation. She works almost like a counterpoint or foil to the man-children and Robert – the normal person in amongst the insanity. Kathryn Hahn, seen in bit parts in other comedies such as Anchorman, gets a bigger role – and look out for her in upcoming comedies, as her performance here is the biggest surprise. As Derek’s downtrodden wife, she seduces and accosts Dale at any given opportunity – and the fantasies and conversations she creates in these situations are some of the funniest parts of the film.

Adam Scott, as Brennan’s younger brother Derek, is hilarious – the man looks and sneers like Tom Cruise, and his rabid control and need for superiority over his brother means that the character is that much more of an important figure in the funniest scenes. In fact, one of the best scenes of the film comes through his character’s need for excellency in his family, and his behaviour at the conclusion cements him as a new comedy actor for the Apatow team – interestingly opposite to the needless cameo from Seth Rogen, who I feel will soon want to play something other than the schlubby, slightly bemused by anything character he plays here in one small scene.

Adam McKay manages to direct another ridiculous Ferrell comedy, and his collaborations, both script-wise and directorial alongside Ferrell, are consistently funny. McKay ably manages to stage the mad comedy that Ferrell indulges in to the full – witness the riot at the children’s playground, or the antics of Dale and Brennan around the house, and it’s easy to see why the director is good at staging the physical comedy as well as presenting the spoken comedy. There are some great lines, some fantastic (and memorable) lines, and shockingly some real clunkers. The scenes in which Brennan and Dale interview for jobs are terrible – and it’s a shame, as it detracts from some of the really great scenes that surround it. As said above, most of the scenes containing Jenkins and Hahn are the best of the film – particularly the latter, whose obsession with Dale leads to some incredibly wrong yet hilarious lines you’ll remember afterward.

The soundtrack itself is ample for the film, but it’s the use of songs here that gives the film much of its score. Sweet Child O’Mine is presented, a cappella, by Derek and his family to hilarious effect, whilst Time To Say Goodbye is performed by Ferrell so well that you would begin to think he should change career. A lot of the film is reliant on physical comedy, and fortunately McKay can present it very well – from the two men fighting across the house, through to their exploits in attempting to reunite the parents and keep the house, it’s sometimes the case that the physical laughs outweigh the spoken.

It’s certainly no Anchorman or Talladega Nights, but Step Brothers is up there alongside Blades of Glory and Semi-Pro – and you really get the sense here that Ferrell and Reilly perhaps enjoy playing these idiots a little too much!

7/10