by Jeffrey K. Lyles | Movie Review
I have looked up Will Ferrell’s sleeve, and trust me when I say there’s nothing left.
If his latest offering — and I use that in the loosest sense of the word — ‘‘Step Brothers” is any indication, Ferrell’s shtick of yelling, weird facial expressions and penchant for exposing some parts of his body has finally run its course. And not a moment too soon.
With the equally moronic ‘‘Semi-Pro” already under his belt this year, Ferrell shows there’s only so many times you can milk the same cow before the milk spoils.
‘‘Step Brothers” marks the latest collaboration between Ferrell and his ‘‘Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” co-star John C. Reilly (‘‘The Promotion”) and director Adam McKay.
Brennan (Ferrell) and Dale (Reilly) are two spoiled losers in a single-parent household whose comfy lives come to an end when their parents (Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins) get married, forcing the two loners to co-exist for the sake of their family.
But can two grown men who’ve been pampered their entire lives get along, especially when they have some competition for their parent’s affections?
Granted, the plot is fairly silly, but McKay and Ferrell don’t even try with the script — opting for any and every chance to make a crude joke. Whenever they get stuck trying to find a funny retort or clever line, they resort to good ol’ faithful — dropping a few hundred ‘‘f-bombs,” desperately hoping it will get a laugh from the audience.
This all wouldn’t be so bad if it featured some hack comedy director and two bumbling leads, but ‘‘Talladega Nights” proved that when this trio is on their game, they can put together a side-splitting comedy.
The curse of being a funny actor is that audiences tend to expect a certain level of quality. ‘‘Step Brothers” just seems like an excuse for them to hang out and get a quick paycheck.
A running ‘‘joke” is that both Brennan and Dale sleepwalk and vandalize the house. It’s another instance of an idea that Ferrell and McKay conceived that sounded a lot better on paper as opposed to on screen where it just comes across as silly and stupid.
And just in case anyone missed the film’s juvenile nature, Apatow goes with the standard fare of a desperate comedy — fart jokes, vomiting and shots of the male genitalia. Classy.
Judd Apatow is listed as one of the producers, presumably to lend the film some iota of credibility. Apatow has pimped his name out in so many movies of varying merit that he needs to reconsider which films get his seal of approval.
I’m not sure if this was an intended effect or if the cast had no access to any sunscreen, but the leads look strangely redder than normal. It’s a smaller gripe compared to some of the film’s other major issues, but with a film this bad every little thing is annoying.
Last week, I saw what is up to this point the top film of the year in ‘‘The Dark Knight,” so in some perverse way, it only makes sense that I see the worst film of the year right after it. Just remember: I suffered through it, dear reader, so you don’t have to. On this one, you owe me.
Rating: No stars
Step Brothers
R; Comedy; 93 minutes
Director: Adam McKay
Cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins and Adam Scott
