What Do The Critics Say?

"Enjoyable comedy that wrings maximum laughs from its one-joke premise, thanks to terrific comic performances from Ferrell and Reilly. As Talladega Nights proved, Ferrell and Reilly have terrific comic chemistry and Step Brothers basically delivers more of the same." Matthew Turner VIEW LONDON "You'll have seen a lot of this before but that won't be a problem for lovers of 'big' comedy and die-hard Ferrell fans." Richard Luck CHANNEL 4 "Like toothpaste from a tube, every last laugh is squeezed from this absurd premise, where both men pushing forty act like they're 14. Surprisingly, it's enough to make it work." Jason Di Rosso ABC NATIONAL "Adam McKay's movie hits inspiration often enough to overcome its pedestrian plot, and the sight of Ferrell bawling like a baby somehow gets funnier each time." Tim Robey DAILY TELEGRAPH "Thanks to their ability to convincingly portray adults who have never emotionally advanced beyond their pre-adolescent years, Ferrell and Reilly perfectly inhabit these obnoxious yet hilarious characters. Their mutual hostility and mistrust evolves into something almost noble by the film's conclusion. Anyone with a sibling will surely relate to the childish nonsense shown throughout." Pauline Adamek FILMINK

"For all its crass humor and silly dialogue, Step Brothers has a surprising amount of heart and a genuinely touching message. The team of McKay and Ferrell focus on the goofy, childish maneuverings of Brennan and Dale, but they've added a twist at the end that's uplifting yet not completely out of touch with the rest of the production. Ferrell and Reilly make the best of playing totally clueless guys caught in an '80ish time warp." Rebecca Murray HOLLYWOOD MOVIES "Despite some obvious flaws, ‘Step Brothers’ remains a hugely enjoyable, well-constructed slice of low-brow Saturday night entertainment, leaving Ferrell’s position as the reigning king of US comedy secure for a while longer." Tom Huddlestone TIMEOUT "This isn't your Adam Sandler watered down comedy. It's raunchy, vulgar, rude, mean-spirited, and funny as hell." Austin Kennedy SIN MAGAZINE "Long live Brennan and Dale. A funny, raunchy comedy that likely will transport grown men back to their childhoods while watching it." Christopher Smith BANGOR DAILY NEWS "It's nice to have Will Ferrell back, and not as, say, a sex-addicted curling champ from Liechtenstein with a testicle that hasn't descended and an appetite for Funyuns. A riotous movie that delivers on its promise thanks to expert improvisation and squirm." Nick Rogers STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER

The Inside Story Step Brothers re-teams 2007 MTV Movie Award winner Will Ferrell ("Melinda and Melinda") with 2005 Screen Actors Guild Award winner John C Reilly ("Chicago") and writer-director Adam McKay ("Pushing Tom") after the trio’s successful collaboration on the hit comedy "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby". Immediately after wrapping photography on that film, Ferrell, McKay, and Reilly decided that the experience was so creatively satisfying that they wanted to repeat it. "We sat down, had dinner, and spit-balled all these ideas," Ferrell remembers. "When we worked on Talladega, the funniest scenes were the ones that were loose: like the 'Baby Jesus grace' at the dinner table," says McKay. "That scene didn’t have a lot of story directive: it was just about meeting the characters and establishing the tone. It was important to us to find an idea that, like Talladega, was loose enough but also had enough of an engine to drive the story along." At the dinner, Ferrell, McKay, and Reilly came up with "pages and pages of ideas, all pretty solid, but all a little restrictive," says McKay. Then, the next day, as he was trying to come up with the perfect idea, inspiration struck. "Someone mentioned bunk beds for their kids and I thought, 'I got it.' Two grown guys, still living at home, their single parents get married, and now they have to share a room." "As soon as we heard the idea, we immediately went for it," Reilly ("Gangs Of New York") adds. "Imagine if your kids just never really matured and never left the house. I mean, I love my kids, but I really hope they grow up and move out eventually." "What do you do if your kids are a mess?", asks 1994 & '95 CableACE winning producer Judd Apatow ("The Larry Sanders Show"). "Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen play the parents, and what’s funny about their fights in the movie is that they really just don’t know what to do. Interestingly, it’s a pretty common problem: how do you get your kids out of the house?" "Brennan and Dale are very leery of each other. Neither of them likes the new situation at all," Ferrell notes. "All that changes when Dale meets Brennan’s younger brother Derek, who comes to dinner one night with his family. Derek is the complete opposite of Brennan. He’s successful, handsome, and has everything going for him. He’s also tormented Brennan his entire life. Dale comes to Brennan’s defense by sucker-punching Derek, and from that moment on, Dale and Brennan are best friends." Reilly explained his character has a unique brand of self-centeredness. "Dale is an extreme case of arrested development. His dad’s a doctor, so he’s never really had to work for anything. He’s just into the things that he likes and everything else doesn’t interest him at all. He’s into the drums, sling shots, karate, and fireworks. He’s a guy who already feels like he’s got the greatest life ever and he doesn’t have to really work." Still, although they’d be playing the 'kids', Ferrell found that the movie’s central conflict was in two other characters. "When we started writing, we came up with crazy scenarios from every kind of brotherly fight we could think of and any adolescent scenario that made us laugh," he said. "But as we continued, we really started identifying with the parents." McKay says that when he and Ferrell sit down to write together, the first step is often improvisation. "The entire goal is to come up with something that makes the other person laugh. We take turns, tossing out ideas," says McKay. "I’ll lie on the floor, saying anything that comes to mind, and Will types. He’ll make sense of it all and then we’ll flip it. I’ll rewrite the scenes and he’ll take the job of sitting on the couch throwing out insane ideas." McKay and Ferrell have known each other for over twelve years. How did they meet? "We were both hired at 'Saturday Night Live' at the same time. He had a long career as an improviser and a stage performer before he become solely a writer, and I think that influenced his directing style. It allows for a lot of freedom," Ferrell says. Producer Judd Apatow ("The Cable Guy" & "Forgetting Sarah Marshall") says the reason he likes working with the two guys is, "because they are truly two of the nicest guys in the industry. They’re really funny, they really enjoy making movies, they make each other laugh, and they make the set a really happy place." He revealed that when he's directing and something comes up, he always thinks, "What would Adam McKay do?" When the script was completed, Ferrell and Reilly started the work of shaping the performances that would bring the characters to life. "I would go home, watching my kids react to not getting something they wanted, or a petty grievance between siblings, and that stuff definitely informed my character," says Reilly. Until recently, Reilly has been known as a dramatic actor thanks to roles in "The Aviator", "The Hours", "The Good Girl", "Magnolia", "Days of Thunder". But lately he's been performimg in comedy roles. He says there’s been no change in focus. "It’s still the same kind of work. It doesn’t feel all that different to me; it’s just the way the circumstances in the scenes change that make it absurd." "John and Will have incredible chemistry," says Apatow. "I don’t know where it comes from, but they’re really fun to watch together and there’s something about their comedic styles that really balance each other out. They’re like a great comedy team." with Ferrell and Reilly’s characters already in place, it was key that the filmmakers find believable parents for Dale and Brennan. After all, it is the parents who serve as the guides into Dale and Brennan’s world. 1981 Academy Award winner Mary Steenburgen ("Melvin and Howard"), who played step-mum Emily to Ferrell's character Buddy" in Elf", was cast as Brennan's mum, Nancy Huff. "We’re trying every variation of me being Will’s mother. This time, I’m his birth mother," says Steenburgen ("What's Eating Gilbert Grape" & "Sunshine State"). "It was an amazing experience that was just so much fun. The hardest part of this job is to get through a take without the giggles." "It was fun to see her perform this type of comedy," Says Ferrell. "She fits so well in terms of playing the right tone. It’s a hard part: the character has to get tough while being an enabler the whole time." "Mary is such a polite, graceful, lovely person. She has amazing manners. She has a grace about her, so to be rude to her is so funny," Reilly notes. "We do and say all these awful things to her." "I would not have traded places with any actress in the world," Steenburgen said. "There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Every single day was a total adventure. I had no idea what was going to happen. Plus, I’m a laugh junkie and what better place to be? This is the center of the universe for a laugh junkie." There was another cast member who was incredibly enthusiastic to work with Steenburgen. 2008 Moscow International Film Festival Silver St George Award winner Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor"), who portrayed the deceased patriarch Nathaniel Fisher in nineteen episodes of the triple Golden Globe winning TV series "Six Feet Under", was cast as Dr Robert Doback, Dale’s father. "When I heard she was doing it, I thought 'Oh good, this is great'. We had a lot of fun. She’s there all the time for you in a scene. She’s so beautiful and so funny and so sweet," Jenkins revealed. Jenkins notes the unique way in which the husband and wife team has made their children incapable of embracing responsibility. "He has been a distant parent. He knows there are problems, but he really hasn't dealt with them. Because of the new situation, he’s forced to deal with it and he’s just not capable. For these last fourty years, he’s found a way to avoid paying attention to his son, and now that he’s forced to, it ain’t pretty." "Richard Jenkins has always made us laugh and he’s an actor we’ve always respected," says Apatow. "He’s worked with the Coen brothers and Woody Allen. He was on "Six Feet Under". Casting him puts everyone on their game." Kathryn Hahn, who worked with McKay and Ferrell briefly on Anchorman playing Veronica Corningstone's assistant Helen, was cast as Alice, the frustrated wife of Nancy’s other son, Derek. After years of putdowns, petty arguments, and standing in the shadows, she is ready to break free. And when Dale sucker-punches her husband, it sets free her primal urges and she reacts in unexpected ways. "She’s a shattered shell of a woman who is beaten down by her husband, Derek, and her kids. She takes harbor in the arms of Dale Doback," Hahn ("The Last Mimzy") says. "They have a love affair for the ages." "Kathryn is so fearless," Reilly says. "She is probably the most fearless actress I’ve ever worked with. She is very much like me and Will and Adam, where if something’s funny, we’ll chase it all the way down." Playing Hahn’s husband and Ferrell’s brother is Adam Scott ("The Aviator" & "Monster-in-Law"). Scott was happy to work with the comedy team of Ferrell and McKay. "They’re probably the funniest guys around. They’re hilarious and they’re also just the nicest guys around. It’s been really great." With the cast in place the next task was to create the look and feel for the film. Costume designer Susan Matheson ("Crazy/Beautiful" & "Semi-Pro") reunites with the team after designing the costumes for Talladega Nights. "The great thing about Adam McKay is that he’s incredibly supportive of people with an absurdist sense of humor. As long as the joke is subtle, and as long as I can justify it, he’s all for it." "Step Brothers" marks production designer Clayton Hartley’s fifth collaboration with Ferrell. As most of the action takes place in one house in Los Angeles, Hartley’s goal was to provide a design that would underscore the fact that the characters are stuck in time as teenagers, without calling attention to itself. The way they did that, he says, was "to leave around puddles of stuff, like a teenager does. A teenager will leave his bike in the driveway, his coat in the hall, empty bags of snacks in the den: it was those little touches that would make this nice house look like two children lived in it." The boy's shared bedroom is a hodgepodge of teenage memories culled from the entire art department. Set decorator Casey Hallenbeck filled the room with all sorts of goofy stuff. "It was definitely a great chance for him to go to town and remake a teenage bedroom," Hartley says. Synopsis

Brennan Huff is a sporadically employed, spoilt thirty nine year old who lives with his mother, Nancy. Dale Doback is a terminally unemployed forty year old who lives with his father Dr Robert Doback. Both men have lived a Peter Pan like existence, stuck in a childhood time warp. But all that is about to come to an end. When Robert and Nancy meet at a medical seminar, it's love at first sight. They marry and move in together. Brennan and Dale are forced to live with each other as step brothers. Initially, they loathe one another, but become fast friends over a shared love of ninjas, COPS, porno mags, and the comforts of living in their fantasy world. Eventually, their narcissism and aggressive laziness tears the family apart. Realizing what they have done, the two middle-aged, immature, overgrown boys orchestrate an insane, elaborate plan to bring their parents back together. But will it succeed?

The Verdict "If your idea of fun is watching Will Ferrell and his mates goof-off, then "Step Brothers" will suit you to a tee. Ferrell is joined by John C Reilly in this 'family' comedy, the tale of which revolves around two men, one thirty nine years old and the other, fourty years old, who live in a Peter Pan like state thanks to their doting sole parents (both of whom, have lost their partners). When both men's parents meet, fall in love and quickly move in together, the lazy layabouts are forced to face a different lifestyle. Kiddie-like temper tantrums, sybling rivalry and all the usual tactics a toddler would throw at their parent feature in the film. Somehow, Ferrell and Reilly manage to make it all quite believable and very funny. Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins are standouts as the boys suffering parents. A lot of silly, good-natured fun with a few 'very naughty' bits thrown in as you'd expect. Fans will certainly enjoy the experience. 3 1/2 STARS." Crew Bytes "STEP BROTHERS" was .......
directed by Adam McKay ["Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"]; screenplay by Adam McKay ["Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"] and Will Ferrell ["Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"]; costume design by Susan Matheson ["Dancer, Texas Pop. 81", "Panic", "Blue Crush" and "The Kingdom"]; production design by Clayton Hartley ["American Pie 3", "Kicking & Screaming" and "My Wife Is Retarded"]; edited by Brent White ["Matilda", "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up"]; director of photography by Oliver Wood ["Die Hard 2", "Mr Holland's Opus", "Mighty Joe Young" and "The Bourne Identity"]; original music by Jon Brion ["Punch-Drunk Love", "I Love Huckabees" and "The Break-Up"]. Who's Who

Will Ferrell Kathryn Hahn Mary Steenburgen Lurie Poston Adam Scott Elizabeth Yozamp John C Reilly Richard Jenkins Bryce Hurless Dmitri Schuyler-Linch Jason Davis Wayne Federman Kyle Felts Travis Flory Chris Henchy Brian Huskey Ken Jeong Paula Killen Breaunna Lake Phil LaMarr Logan Manus Ian Roberts Seth Rogen

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Brennan Huff Alice Huff Nancy Huff Tommy Huff Derek Huff Tiffany Huff Dale Doback Dr Robert Doback 9 Year Old Brennan 6 Year Old Derek TJ Blind Man Wine Mixer Heckler Redheaded Kid First Homebuyer Husband Interviewer Employment Agent Rental Agent Student Second Homebuyer Husband Chris Gardoski Male Therapist Sporting Goods Manager

Run Time 98 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2008 - Sony Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©2008 All Rights Reserved - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - Protected by Australian, International, Copyright & Trademark Laws.