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Bookmark this pageStep Brothers (2008)
Director: Adam McKay
Movie review
From Time Out London
Reuniting the ‘Talladega Nights’ team of director Adam McKay and stars Will Ferrell and John C Reilly, ‘Step Brothers’ takes a merciful step back from the tired sporting comedies that have recently become Ferrell’s bread and butter and lunges into more heartfelt and deranged comic territory.When their respective parents decide to get married, overgrown stay-at-home sons Brennan (Ferrell) and Dale (Reilly) develop an immediate sibling rivalry. But as the family unit is threatened, enmity turns to armistice and, finally, to embarrassingly overaffectionate brotherly love.
Tightly scripted by Ferrell and McKay, the film lacks the improvisational spark that made ‘Talladega’ and ‘Anchorman’ so fresh. But it has energy to spare, a great line in bone-crunching slapstick and the easy charm of two comic leads at the peak of their game. An excellent supporting cast also pull their weight, notably Adam Scott as awesomely vile overachiever Derek and Kathryn Hahn as his desperate wife Alice, who walks away with the film’s most disturbed, brilliant scene.
Some awkward shifts into grossout territory– including Ferrell sporting a pair of very fake rubber testicles – don’t exactly raise the tone, and there are moments when the prospect of watching two grown men act like spiteful adolescents for 90 minutes seems a big ask. But Ferrell is no Robin Williams and, even with a last-act shift into ‘emotional’ territory, the film never becomes mawkish. Despite some obvious flaws, ‘Step Brothers’ remains a hugely enjoyable, well-constructed slice of lowbrow Saturday night entertainment, leaving Ferrell’s position as the reigning king of US comedy secure for a while longer.
Author: Tom Huddleston
Time Out London Issue 1984, Aug 28-Sept 3 2008
User reviews of this film
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- melmen said...
- Posted on Aug 21 2011 14:25 For all you wankers sayin step borhters was shit i think you can all go fuck yourselfs it was the funniest film ive ever seen until hot tub time machine but still brilliant film.
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- Thomas Noctor said...
- Posted on Jan 29 2011 12:50 98 Minutes of My life I'll never get back, if you want a good comedy about two stupid men get 'Dumb and Dumber' now there's a classic! Will Ferrell JUST AIN'T FUNNY!
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- d said...
- Posted on Jan 20 2011 16:54 people calm down its a funny movie it doesnt really need a plot chill
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- lewis said...
- Posted on Sep 20 2010 10:29 awesome film a must see
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- Gemma said...
- Posted on Feb 02 2009 18:54 seriously this film is hilarious! couldnt wait for it to come out on DVD...Will gets funnier with every film and i think he'd make me laugh if he stood still! superb GO BUY IT!
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- Conor Davies said...
- Posted on Nov 27 2008 15:39 The film was ok'ish. Had me in stitches for the first 20 minutes, Still funny all the way guys. The ending was really predictable though..
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- hamid said...
- Posted on Oct 01 2008 09:44 briliant film it kicks ass
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- Jo said...
- Posted on Sep 25 2008 12:43 This was the worse film I have had to sit through in a long time. How anyone can get paid for writing and acting in such a film is beyond me. Obviously these actors are on their way out or surely they wouldn't have accepted such parts.
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- jony said...
- Posted on Sep 24 2008 10:31 WHAT A SHIT FILM!
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- Gill said...
- Posted on Sep 20 2008 13:00 I really enjoyed this film. It was a bit 'guy humour-ish' but still worth seeing :D
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- Dave said...
- Posted on Sep 18 2008 12:56 I agree with babs, seemed really funny to begin with but it soon went flat and I ended up just waiting for it to end. Disapointing. Films with Will Ferrel are usually really funny.
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- Babs said...
- Posted on Sep 18 2008 11:21 Hilarious in places then it seemed to fall flat, a real disappointment all in all :-(
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- Leo said...
- Posted on Sep 18 2008 08:30 So bad, just so so bad. There's something about two forty year old men acting like thirteen year olds that had me cringing from the very beginning until the terrible, predictable ending. Ugh.
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- *** stacey *** said...
- Posted on Sep 16 2008 22:43 funnyest film i've seen for ages!!!! my date was very impressed with the choice!! would go and see agiain!!!!! fab, fab, fab!!! xx
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- dood said...
- Posted on Sep 16 2008 19:08 this film was good but not as good as bridget jones dairy 1 or 2 but well what would you expect thats not got colin firth in.
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Cast & crew
Director: Adam McKay
Cast: Will Ferrell, John C Reilly, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, Andrea Savage, Seth Rogen, Rob Riggle, Horatio Sanz full cast
Genre(s): Comedy
Rated: 15
Duration: 98 mins
UK Release: Aug 29 2008
US Release: Jul 25 2008
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