Step away from 'Step Brothers' - 1 1/2 Stars (Out of four)

Review by Keith Cohen, "The Movie Guy"

It is hard to believe that in the span of two weeks both the best (“The Dark Knight”) and worst movies of the year have opened in area theaters.

This is the third outing for the writing team of Adam McKay (who also directs) and Will Ferrell following “Anchorman” and “Talladega Nights.” Their careers date back to 1995 when they worked together on “Saturday Night Live.” They are also reunited with “Talladega Nights” co-star John C. Reilly.

Brennan Huff (Ferrell), a 39-year-old mama’s boy, and Dale Doback (Reilly), a 40-year-old bum, become step-brothers forced to live together under the same roof when their parents (Mary Steenburgen as widowed Nancy and Richard Jenkins from “Six Feet Under” as divorced physician Robert) marry.

These two immature guys are like oil and water. They start off hating each other with physical confrontations and competitive stare downs. When Brennan’s successful younger brother Derek (Adam Scott from HBO’s “Tell Me You Love Me”) appears on the scene offering to sell the family homestead so the newlyweds can set sail on the open sea around the world, these moronic imbeciles join forces against a common enemy.

Derek’s wife Alice (Kathryn Hahn from “Crossing Jordan”) is thrown into the mix as a closet nymphomaniac.

This movie plumbs the depths of bad taste with a sick sense of humor. It takes exaggeration and absurdity to extremes in its message of never losing your inner child. This movie is embarrassing and the actors make fools of themselves: Ferrell exposes his testicles, Reilly licks dog poop and Hahn pees into a men’s room urinal while standing on one leg.

You find yourself laughing at as opposed to with Ferrell and Reilly for being feeble-minded retards. The below-the-belt humor is crude, raunchy, vulgar and offensive.

The screenplay seems like a series of improvised skits. The ad-libs repeatedly have the two leads parading around in their underwear while destructively sleepwalking.

As things progress from bad to worse, the movie tries to salvage things at the end with a Hallmark moment. Consider yourself forewarned to stay clear.

Review By:
Keith Cohen, "The Movie Guy"

Step Brothers

Review by Jolene Mendez

Will Ferrell stars in another comedy that turns out to be another miss. Ferrell is Brennan Huff, a forty year old who is unemployed and still living at home with his mother, and Nancy Huff is played by Mary Steenburgen. That is until Nancy meets a charming Doctor Robert Doback (Richard Jenkins). The two are instantly attracted to each other which intensifies while learning they have a common denominator. Robert too has a forty year old jobless son at home, Dale Doback, portrayed by John C. Reilly. Their union is made official with a wedding and eventually co-habitation. Moving in together proves to be more difficult than expected, considering they have two children who are spoiled and not ready to leave the nest.

Brennan and Dale immediately become competitive and try to control one another. Both are stuck in their adolescence years by refusing to take responsibility and age gracefully. Their antics get out of control and the two are punished as if they were four year old brothers beating each other on the playground, only now they are trying to kill each other on the front yard which is a scene that is very entreating and a crowd pleaser. Expect this to be one of the few pleasers throughout the film. After there explosive fist fight the two find they have more in common than they knew. They instantly become best-friends and as any best-friends would do, they cause havoc by playing karate, busting pumpkins and building bunk beds.

Much to their parents dismay the two get out of hand. As Nancy desires to have her sons happiness to come first, her husband Robert is very disgruntled by his son's actions and wants to put a stop to their shenanigans. Will this be a disagreement the newlyweds can resolve, our will the honeymoon be short lived? Step Brothers started off with a strong screenplay. As most of us know someone living at home still that should have ventured off on their own by now, but has decided to remain in the nest. There are many comical acts to find humorous. Even the crude and plain stupid jokes are funny, but there is nothing new here. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly offered standard and expected performances with nothing original or spectacular. Half way through the film you find yourself wondering when it will end and if these boys will ever grow up. Another standard comedy where you can get exactly what you have seen before. I was hoping for more this time and sad to say I was disappointed.