Simon says STEP BROTHERS pushes its one joke to the limit...
Ive given STEP BROTHERS a lot of chances to impress me, having been majorly underwhelmed by the first two viewings- and you know what? Its just about alright- not spectacular in any way, nor utterly shite, it sort of coasts along threatening to be delightfully funny, without hitting the heights of ANCHORMAN. But maybe it isnt fair to continuously hold everything Ferrell does up against his career-defining work on ANCHORMAN- STEP BROTHERS is a film in its own right, and as such demands its own critical evaluation. Even I admit the innumerate mentions of it not being as good as ANCHORMAN are getting tedious; the rose-tinted love of that film has already lead to one mis-guided sequel cobbled together from unused and unworthy sequences from the Editor's floor, so that love cant be all good. In short, in case youre new to the film- two middle aged men with severe maturity issues are thrust together when their parents marry each other; carnage ensues etc. Obviously there is the inevitable and sickening moment of personal realisation towards the end- overcoming obstacles and adversity and the like, all wrapped in a nice little moral fibre. But in a pleasant departure from the norm, STEP BROTHERS offers a skewed moral- okay so it is essentially just another be true to yourself movie, but this time it reinforces the need to listen to the child inside and never give in to the supposed conventions of maturity. Credit where credits due, the funny bits when they do arrive are pretty damn funny: in particular the sleep-walking scenes and in general Ferrell and Reillys execution of their stunted maturity. Most of the time both actors capture a perfect vision of unchecked childishness without stepping over the line, although occasionally the joke runs a little close to being repetitive. Unfortunately I can see a lot of myself in some of their less ridiculous behaviours: the grandiose dreams, the fanboy passion for toys and the wonderful boasting- and that recognition compounds the hilarity. Now all I need is to find out where that Chewy head comes from But, part of me wishes John C Reilly would stop trying to be so damned funny- WALK HARD was pretty much a disaster, and his role in TALLADEGA NIGHTS was iffy at best. On the flip-side his CHICAGO appearance as Amos Hart was perfection (so much so that I cant imagine anyone singing Mr Cellophane quite like he does)- he has a face made for pathos, laden with the kind of wrinkles a bulldog would kill for, each an intricately woven tale of woe. I suppose I still see Reilly as an interesting side character- 1997s NIGHTWATCH and BOOGIE NIGHTS immediately spring to mind- although his impending appearance as Larten Crepsley in Paul Weitzs CIRQUE DU FREAK looks to be an intriguing prospect. Provided Weitz manages to capture enough of Darren Shans impeccable essence, and maybe a touch of the skin-crawling freakiness of the excellent but sadly underrated TV series CARNIVALE of a few years back, then I think finally I might be willing to accept Reilly as a major player. At the minute he still feels like Will Ferrells buddy, pulled to the top fortuitously on the coat-tails of Ferrells overnight success, and occasionally let loose- prematurely I might add- as the lead on his own projects. I have a great deal of respect for Reilly, because of his more subtle works, and I eagerly await his return to better form. That said, Reilly and Ferrell manage to capture an excellent on-screen chemistry, fleeting glimpses of which appeared in the last Ferrell/McKay/Reilly team up TALLADEGA NIGHTS. The dynamic between the two is borne in the amalgamation of Reillys unjustified cocky arrogance and Ferrells more subtle childish innocence and shyness and hits unlikely heights in the fight scenes, the interview sequences and the afore-mentioned sleepwalking scenes. Say what you like about either actor, they somehow manage in STEP BROTHERS to make two characters who could otherwise be enormously unpleasant actually likeable, to the point where their downfall near the end of the play, and their subsequent forced conformity to the rules of grown up life seems tragic. It is in the sequences devoted to the simple idiocy of Brandon and Dales immaturity that the gags work best; in the truly random comedy featuring some of the most hilariously ridiculous quotes in comedy history [I have a belly full of white dog crap, and now you lay this shit on me?]. The hilarity would have been more sustained, and more memorable if Adam McKay hadnt tried so hard to achieve an R-Rating, which is a shame as the more wild gags just dont fit with the rest of the film. There is an innocent retrospective tone (even a twee-ness) that is just too far removed from McKays world of scrotal percussion and dog shit licking. The setting of the film- the tame middle-America of Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins doctors (as if the mundanity is not highlighted enough, they meet at a conference about hearing aids!) is just too real for the outlandish humour- there is no scope for us to believe why either of the parents would have put up with their moronic sons for so long. Even love has its limits. So at the end of it all, what does STEP BROTHERS achieve, I hear you all feverishly ask Well, its definitely based upon a good premise, and the gag-filled dialogue is very funny in places (you just cant underestimate the value of Adam McKays involvement; hes obviously a good effect on Ferrell). But, the overall script feels a little loose, and it seems to be an exercise in stretching one joke to its infinite point- I cant help but feel like we have been here before though, and as a former Ferrell fan its not really for me. Ive seen one critique of the film that I think rings perfectly true- the good points of STEP BROTHERS merely make it like the talented precocious child who is charming at first, but whose act eventually begins to grate horrendously. I dont know about you, but Id expect something a little better from the alleged top US comic actor, but then thank Christ it isnt another waste-of-time SporCom Extras Its a Judd Apatow production, so of course there are the inevitable staple Extras that come with everything attached to his name- the often chucklesome Line-O-Rama, mostly funny Deleted Scenes, and the somewhat obligatory Gag Reel. At least the Gags dont feel quite as forced here as in other cases- but its all a bit samey. As Im sure regular readers of my reviews will be painfully aware, I like to be wowed by a DVDs Extras, but I also like there to be some innovation (Ive said it once and Ill say it again TROPIC THUNDER didnt do a lot right but it got its Extras nailed on perfect).