Step Brothers (Adam McKay, 2008, USA)

Falling squarely within the “frat pack” era of American comedy that dominated screens from the middle of the first decade of the 2000s to the beginning of the second decade, Step Brothers was seen at the time of its release as largely another obnoxious comedy. Though the film received a mixed reception upon its initial release, it has since received a second life with audiences and critics alike. While perhaps not quite reaching Big Lebowski levels, the film has a devoted cult fanbase that can quote the film and has even proposed dedicating a yearly event to the film (the Catalina Wine Mixer).

While the pairing of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly is the key to the film, one can’t understate some of the true heroes of the film: their parents, played by Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen. The fact that everybody plays the events of the film so straight is one of the film’s great strengths. Adam Scott is equally amazing as Will Ferrell’s jerk brother. While the events of the film and the characters are obviously absurd, you wouldn’t know this by the acting on display by many of the film’s central characters.

The fact that Adam McKay has gone onto direct more highbrow satires perhaps shows that he was always more talented than lowbrow comedy. But he turns lowbrow comedy into a high art. Certain sections of the film, including the film’s finale at the Catalina Wine Mixer, are actually surprisingly moving in their own stupid and absurd way. In much the same way as its predecessor Dumb and Dumber, Step Brothers manages to combine puerile and gross humor with a heart that many films of its ilk lack. It is perhaps for the best that a sequel was never made, as it is hard to imagine how they would top the original.

8/10