Step Brothers

Step Brothers is an entertaining comedy that manages to wrest a lot of mileage out of its rather simple premise.

The setup involves two middle-aged men, played by Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, who’ve never left home, and find themselves stepbrothers after their single parents marry.

Ferrell turns in yet another variation of the man-child character he’s played in just about every one of his comedies, but hey, he’s good at it and it’s still entertaining. This time, he’s joined by John C. Reilly, who proves to be more than a simple foil, but a genuine comic presence capable of holding his own on screen.

While the two are certainly funny on their own, it’s their interactions that provide the film’s biggest laughs, including a great scene early on involving Reilly’s character’s drum set, as well as a later scene involving each man’s attempt to bury the other in the yard. Sure, you know how the story’s going to end from scene-one, but the film does a good job of avoiding useless plot contraptions. There’s no love interest or estranged parent, just several great cameos, from the likes of Seth Rogan and Rob Riggle, the latter of whom, steals all of his scenes as a frat-boy executive.

In the end, if you like Will Ferrell you’re bound to like Step Brothers, though if his recent solo efforts have left you cold after Old School, you still might want to give this one a shot, as his turn here is fairly close to Frank the Tank, and having Reilly around means he doesn’t have to carry every scene.