Step-Sibling Allies

Step Brothers is a film that I had little interest in prior to watching it.  It goes without saying that I am not the biggest Will Ferrell fan (which is ironic because I have seen a few of his films), but I have to say that my good friend Hannah Sutter recommended this movie and I absolutely loved it.  Perhaps I am a bigger fan of Will Ferrell than I thought.

Step Brothers is the story of two middle-aged men who are forced to become roommates when their parents get married.  What makes this movie so hilarious is that even though Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) are in their forties, they act like eleven year olds.  The situations that these two characters get into are quite funny, and at the same time it warms your heart when you start to see them act like adults.  There is also an underlying theme in this movie that I would like to mention.  At about the halfway point in the movie, the storyline takes a serious turn about why Brennan and Dale act the way they do.  It is touched upon that Nancy Huff (Mary Steenburgen) treats her son differently than Dr. Robert Doback (Richard Jenkins) does.  Even though this is a brief moment in the film, it makes you wonder about how difficult it is to raise a child who behaves this way.  This moment is well-acted by everyone in the scene, and actually adds substance to the film as a whole.

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play Brennan Huff and Dale Doback, respectively.  In my opinion, their comedic timing has never been better than it is in this film.  I also feel that their banter is better when they are enemies than it is when they are working as a team.  The verbal insults that they are able to come up with will you have rolling in laughter until you cannot breathe.  Ferrell and Reilly always work well together, and I cannot wait to seem them in another movie.

Adam McKay is the director of Step Brothers.  I have always enjoyed McKay's films because, while most of them are comedies, they all feel different.  What is special about what he does with this film is that he knows when to dial down the comedy.  Yes, there are the big comedic scenes when you are bursting with laughter, but you also have the quieter moments between Ferrell and Reilly where you find yourself giggling under your breath because you want to hear what they have to say to each other and enjoy those moments.  The thematic moment in the film is also quite well done because it does not beat you over the head with what it is trying to say.  I honestly cannot wait to see what McKay does next with his career.

I am officially a Will Ferrell fan after seeing this film.  Step Brothers is a movie that has big laughs, but it also has a big heart.  McKay is a director who always knocks it out of the park with the actors he works with, and if you feel the same way I do, then you should definitely check this movie out.