Step Brothers (2008)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Adam McKay

Writers (WGA):

Will Ferrell (screenplay) &
Adam McKay (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 July 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

They grow up so fast.

Plot:

Two spoiled guys become competitive stepbrothers after their single parents get hitched.

Plot Keywords:

Stepbrother | Sleepwalking | Night Vision Goggles | Surprise After End Credits | Rudeness

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Will Ferrell	...	Brennan Huff
John C. Reilly	...	Dale Doback
Mary Steenburgen	...	Nancy Huff
Richard Jenkins	...	Dr. Robert Doback
Adam Scott	...	Derek Huff
Kathryn Hahn	...	Alice Huff
Andrea Savage	...	Denise
Lurie Poston	...	Tommy Huff
Elizabeth Yozamp	...	Tiffany Huff
Logan Manus	...	Chris Gardoski
Travis T. Flory	...	Redheaded Kid (as Travis Flory)
Lili Rose McKay	...	7-Year-Old Girl (as Lili McKay)
Shira Piven	...	Nurse
Seth Morris	...	Doctor
Wayne Federman	...	Blind Man

MPAA:

Rated R for crude and sexual content, and pervasive language.

Runtime:

98 min | 106 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #44260) | Ireland:16 | UK:15 | Singapore:M18 | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Australia:MA | Sweden:7 | Portugal:M/12 | Peru:14 | Finland:K-13 | New Zealand:R16 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:18 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Italy:VM14 | Argentina:13 | Iceland:12 (re-rated) | Iceland:7 (original rating) | Iceland:L (video rating) | Mexico:B15

Filming Locations:

2632 Washington Bl., Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

Director Adam McKay states on the commentary that they originally went to the island of Catalina for location searches and discovered that he did not really like the island. They instead shot on the coast and during several shots, the island of Catalina can be seen. McKay chose not to have it digitally edited out as a joke.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Brennan is showing Dale how good a singer he is, a samurai sword is on the floor between them. When Brennan stops singing and stands up, the camera angle changes. When it goes back to Dale, the sword is gone.

Quotes:

Dale Doback: Look... we can bicker about this night, but what's done is done Dad. Are you guys going to invest or not?
Dr. Robert Doback: That's it!

Movie Connections:

References Walking Tall (1973)

Soundtrack:

Sweet Child Of Mine

a satisfying film that deserves a break

There's a difference between Step Brothers and Baby Mama. Step Brothers is not up to par with the best work of the Will Ferrell-Adam McKay writing team, but it is not like Baby Mama in the sense that it has made me lost faith in the brand. Many critics seem to not know the difference. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby made 7 films together. Would critics have given this film a bigger pass if Will Ferrell and John C Reiley's film were called Talladega Nights II? What I'm getting it is I thought this film was plenty funny and certainly inventive enough. In fact, I stayed in the theater and watched it twice. The big stars of the film are not John C Reilly and Will Ferrell but Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins for holding down straight faces and being convincing as a loving dad and a loving mom of such silly characters. You could insert the characters played by Jenkins and Steenburgen into something like Cheaper by the Dozen or Gilmore Girls and it would still pretty much work.