|
 In Cinemas Now [MA15+]
Directed By: Adam McKay
Runtime: 98 minutes
Another week, another Apatow-produced comedy in the cinema. Even as people are beginning to tire of them, they’re still the best thing happening in the genre right now. Step Brothers is a rather funny, original comedy that, even at it’s most juvenile, will be more worth your cinema admission then a thousand bad ‘<Blank> Movie’ parody films. It has some of the usual Apatow line-up, with the addition of Will Ferrell, who brings his own style of comedy to the film.
Brennan (Ferrell) and Dale (John C. Reilly) are two middle-aged loafers, unemployed and still living at home with their lonely parents. When Brennan’s mother and Dale’s father marry, they become something of a dysfunctional Brady Bunch, and the reluctant new step-brothers attempt to assert themselves as ‘boss of the house’ in elaborately childish ways.
The feuding children eventually come together when Brennan’s successful younger brother offers to sell the house, forcing them both out of the nest.
By working together they begin to realise how alike they are and begin form a strong friendship. What follows is a series of increasingly funny and oddly warm moments, which will have you going against your better judgement and backing the anti-heroes.
It’s hard not to find Will Ferrell funny, and John C Reilly belongs in comedy and away from minor roles as cuckolded husbands. Mary Steinbergen plays (surprise) a ‘nice mum’, and Seth Rogen (also, surprise) pops up for a moment in one of the more immature scenes. With Ferrell and Reilly penning most of the script, the laughs are frequent and as usual, the film is up to the Apatow standard – full of good humour and likable characters. The leads have a very good on-screen chemistry, and while Step Brothers doesn’t eclipse films like Anchorman, it’s still pretty great.
If all else fails to interest you, you might care to know that censors refused to allow Ferrell to expose his testicles on screen so a very expensive set of doubles had to be created, and they look alarmingly realistic. So much so that Will Ferrell decided he should keep them.
****
BROOKE BURGESS
|
| Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Poster's IP addresses are logged. |
|
Be first to comment on this article
