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SYNOPSIS:
Brennan and Dale are two middle-aged loafers who are forced
to live together when their parents get married. When the
reluctant step-siblings' immature antics over TV privileges
and personal property take their toll on the marriage, the
devious duo hatch a hysterical scheme to reunite the couple.
MOVIE
REVIEW
I’m a huge fan of Adam McKay/Judd Apatow/Will Ferrell’s "Anchorman", their subsequent collaboration "Talladega Nights" though was a mixed bag to me. Yet i’m still looking forward to more of their productions. When their third effort, "Step Brothers" opens theatrically, the negative reviews came in fast and furious which is why I hesitate from buying a ticket to it. Deep down, i’m still pining some hopes that perhaps it’s isn’t that bad.
Well after 105 minutes of viewing this unrated DVD version, I got to somehow agree with the masses.
The premise is a funny one (supposedly). Brennan (Ferrell) and Dale (John C. Reilly) play two grown up adults but has been living on their parents for years. Commonly known as 'man-boys', these two has a lot in common (same favourite dinosaur species and even the length of their p**** is the same) but find it hard to adjust with each other in the beginning when their parents played by Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen decide to get married after falling in love within a short span (that is after the credits rolled). But the couple’s happiness is short-lived because their two immature sons got themselves into so much trouble that they decide to sell their house and go their separate ways.
The trouble with "Step Brothers" is the absurdness with all the bickering between the two brothers. It gets tedious and repetitive as the movie stretches. Come on, the two of them are at least fourty years old but their behaviour are worse off than the average ten-year-old. I guilty admit I did chuckled though when Brennan uses his testicles to rub on Dale’s drum sets but how many times must McKay uses the sleepwalking tactic to draw in the laughs and a grown up man being forced by kids to lick dog poo? This is no comedy.
Gross out body humour (liked the one stated above) and crass dialogues ruled the day when it comes to the average Apatow productions. But "Step Brothers" took a step further with its continuous ad-libbed lines courtesy of Ferrell and Reilly that it comes to a point where it’s not funny anymore. The basic structure of the story no longer exists and the major difference between the first half of the movie and the second is the proof of that.
Successful comedies don’t have to be smart to be funny.
"Step Brothers" broke two rules of all time, one: Apparently it’s forgiveable it's not a smart comedy but secondly: It’s not funny either.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
Altogether there are 5 Extended & Alternate Scenes running a total of 17 minutes. A particularly funny scene which were left out involving Dale getting a pair of Hulk hands for Christmas while Brennan getting a wallet.
Line-O-Rama and Gag Reel are two common features found in almost all of Apatow’s productions, the former a 5 minute feature which shows us improvised lines which were deleted from the final cut and the latter practically another segment on how the cast came up with a dozen different lines for the same scene. So what’s the difference between the two? There isn’t much, just sit back and laugh.
Dale Vs Brennan is a montage on Dale and Brennan getting on each other nerves. Silly but entertaining in this context.
This one is solid gold, Dale and Brennan’s self-made music video, "Boats ‘N Hoes" in its entirety.
The Commentary with Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Adam McKay, Special Guest NBA Star Baron Davis, and Scored by John Brion is a silly one. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly like to sing rather than ‘talk’ in the commentary track. If you are hoping for an entertaining track, you sure get more than you wish for.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
This DVD is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen and colours somehow lack the vibrant of the usual crops of Hollywood blockbusters, perhaps intentional. The front and main speakers get to do most of the work since the movie is more dialogue-based thus the Dolby Digital 5.1 is more or less underutilised except for the occasional ambient effects.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Linus Tee
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