MOVIE REVIEW: "STEP BROTHERS"
I am not a fan of Will Ferrell.
I have pretty much dedicated my movie-going life to the philosophy that any Will Ferrell movie would’ve been instantly and dramatically improved if his part had been done by pretty much any other actor in the populated Universe (with the exception of the films where he played bit parts, like “The Spy Who Shagged Me” and “Starsky and Hutch”).
I went in to “Step Brothers” pretty much kicking and screaming. I expected something slightly better than “The Love Guru” (which, by the way, I would pour Clorox directly into my eyes before ever watching that piece of crap again).
But to my amazement, “Step Brothers” was funny! I laughed out loud. As God is my witness, I laughed out loud.
Written by Ferrell, co-star John C. Reilly and “Anchorman” director Adam McKay, it’s the story of Brennan (Ferrell) and Dale (Reilly), two 40 year-old virgins who still live with their respective mom and dad. Fate dictates that the parents end up falling in lust and getting married, and thus the blended family. Ferrell and Reilly make no effort to conceal their mutual hostility, but a truce is called in the ongoing step-sibling war due to Brennan’s egregiously successful younger brother Derek (Adam Scott), a superconfident go-getter whose mercenary brand of ingratiating narcissism makes him a parental favorite -- and unites Brennan and Dale in their loathing.
Like most of producer Judd Apatow’s offerings, language, sexual situations, and particularly Brennan’s desecration of Dale’s drum set (I’ll leave it up to you to see how) make “Step Brothers” one that’s not for the younger set.
But, heaven help me, I laughed out loud.
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