Step Brothers

Step Brothers

Directed by Adam McKay (R)

Two middle-aged losers suddenly find themselves related.

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Step Brothers’ R rating is certainly warranted, said Kyle Smith in the New York Post. Really, really warranted. The movie is “like Wayne’s World and The Odd Couple taking a shower together, under a soothing cascade of filthy language.” Though it may seem like a lighthearted buddy picture, this film features pranks so cruel and disgusting you’ll want to look away. Basically, Step Brothers “is simply a collection of scenes with a tiny bit of plot,” said Michael Phillips in the Chicago Tribune. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play middle-aged men thrown together when their parents get married. They initially hate each other, but quickly switch to “extreme bonding.” We’ve seen these antics before, said Sam Adams in the Los Angeles Times. As usual, Ferrell plays a wide-eyed, hairy-bellied loser who can’t seem to control the volume of his voice. But “Step Brothers is not a retread so much as a reduction, stripping away the magical pretext of Elf and the period trappings of Anchorman to get to the heart of the thriving man-boy genre.”