Step Brothers

It isn't even the funniest movie I've seen this year. But it sure made me laugh.

The potentially gooey conclusion is leavened with cynical irreverence.

The shouty variety of manchild comedy that Ferrell has cribbed from Jerry Lewis divides movie fans intensely. Here's the one we should put in the time capsule.

Unremittingly juvenile and irredeemably funny.

On its own terms, Step Brothers is hilarious. But it's a shame that the filmmakers didn't have more faith in the audience. Why resort to gross-out tactics when your premise is strong enough to allow for a more sophisticated approach?

Step Brothers is the latest movie from Adam McKay, the director of Anchorman and Talladega Nights, and, like those two fine entertainments, it rejoices in making a virtue of its own rampant stupidity.

It’s probably the best that Ferrell and longtime co-star John C. Reilly did playing off each other, and the film has remained one of the more memorable works of Ferrell’s run.



This isn’t the type of movie that possesses much resonance, save for the few exceptionally funny moments hidden amid the general absurdity.

The thing about watching Step Brothers in 2023 is that comedy is so subjective and as the film hits fifteen years, it feels cruder than ever.

The genius of Step Brothers isn’t merely the reunion of Ferrell and Reilly... Better is the bizarre personality dissonance of the perpetually fighting characters.