Film

Step Brothers

Paul Cook 04/09/2008

Rating: 4/5

It has been far too long since the almost unsurpassable Legend of Ron Burgundy was unleashed on the world of comedy. With Blades of Glory failing to impress after first viewing and Semi-Pro barely able to do this, Will Ferrell 's Talladega Nights back in 2006 is the last known Ferrell-comedy to have been the metaphorical barrel of laughs. Now comes the same partnership of Ferrell and John C. Reilly in the form of Step Brothers.

Step Brothers is a no-holds barred, outrageous exaggeration of the rivalry between siblings. The difference here however is that Ferrell and Reilly play 40-year old, newly introduced stepbrothers after their single parents fall in love and marry. A bitter, immature rivalry ensues and leads to the brothers having to find jobs together allowing for more hilarious scenarios to unfold.

Without spoiling and divulging the entire story, what is wonderful about this film is Ferrell and Reilly's on-the-nose portrayal of a mid-life sibling rivalry, exaggerated to the full and by the end few boundaries remain unbroken. To even attempt to sum up the elements that make this film so funny is almost impossible. The best way to describe it is if you take Ron Burgundy's superciliousness and immaturity, Ricky Bobby's loosest of grasps on reality and Chazz Michael Michaels' arrogance and stubbornness and roll it all into the body of a 40-year-old with the mind of a 15-year-old you end up with Brennan Huff and Dale Doback, the unlikeliest of stepbrothers.

Anyone with a brother or sister should understand and relate to the film's content and its OTT nature makes almost every situation incredibly funny. Easily Ferrell's best comedy in a long time, Step Brothers steps up to the plate alongside fellow comedians Ben Stiller, Jack Black and the newest kids on the comedy-block Seth Rogen and company, to deliver an outrageously wacky plot rooted in a fairly ordinary, relatable scenario.