Step Brothers Review
by Homer Yen (homeryen88 AT gmail DOT com)July 26th, 2008
"StepBrothers" - Stupid is What Stupid Does
by Homer Yen
(c) 2008
Watching "Stepbrothers" doesn't so much inspire me to review the film itself as it does to warn people that 40-year olds who act like 14-year olds for the mere sake of acting like a 14-year old doesn't make for a funny film. I'll give Will Ferrell credit for his relentless desire to make people laugh. And, I'll give credit to John C. Reilly for having such a varied resume of film roles. They've been in better quality films. And I like them both. But the premise of "Stepbrothers" creates a lose-lose situation. When these two middle-aged men act like morons, it's stupid. And, when these two middle-aged men act like middle-aged men, they're not funny. So, either the film is stupid or not funny.
Anyway, Ferrell plays Brennan, who is the son of divorced-mom Nancy (Mary Steenburgen). Meanwhile, Reilly plays Dale, who is the son of widower Robert (Richard Jenkins). Props do go to the venerable Steenburgen/Jenkins who both act and look genuinely appreciative to be in a Hollywood film. And, they do all that they can do considering the fact that their kids are the biggest losers in the world.
While the two parents find love and harmony in their new relationship, Brennan and Dale, initially, do not get along whatsoever. So, in the first act, the two are never shy about voicing their hatred for one another and find ways to annoy one another. These acts vary along the spectrum of meanness and cruelty. But on a 10-point scale in terms of how funny these pranks are, I'd give it a 3. Why am I so unmoved? Well, it seems that the film is relying on heaving cursing to produce the laughs. The premise of men acting like pre-adolescents can only carry the film for about 25 minutes, which leaves 55 to go. And there's barely any evidence of inventiveness in the film.
The second act shows some signs of life as Brennan and Dale put aside their differences so that they can both combat Brennan's smarmy brother, Derrick (Adam Scott). It's kind of sad that even though Derrick is so easy-to-hate and one-dimensional, he's actually the best thing about the movie. Derrick's family sing-a-long that he orchestrates is not so much bizarre as it is cringe-inducing. And he looks like one of those people that you'd see on a midnight infomercial hawking his real estate secrets where you can become a millionaire with no money down.
I found the experience of watching the film discomforting. I'm not sure if civilized 40-year olds really talk like that. As for their judgment, here's an odd one. It's doubtful that even a 40-year old with the mind of a-14 year old would try to bury someone alive. Meanwhile, it's doubtful that an equally idiotic 40-year old with the mind of a 14-year old would sit there and let himself be buried.
If you want to see a nice story of redemption using the same Final Act DNA of what was used here, I would like to refer you to these two YouTube vignettes, which highlights an ugly duckling (yes, even less attractive than John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell) that turns into a swan.
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YviskL060Xw&feature=related 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDB9zwlXrB8
You can watch those videos for 15 minutes. Or you can watch "Stepbrothers" for 93 long minutes.
Grade: C-
S: 2 out of 3
L: 3 out of 3
V: 2 out of 3
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