Step Brothers (2008)
83%RT Audience Score: 69%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Step Brothers, the 2008 comedy from Adam McKay, is a film that revels in its own stupidity, and that’s exactly what makes it so hilarious. While some critics may criticize the film’s juvenile humor and one-note premise, it’s hard to deny the comedic chemistry between Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as two middle-aged stepbrothers who refuse to grow up. The film’s bizarre personality dissonance and irreverent cynicism add an extra layer of hilarity to the proceedings, making it a must-watch for fans of shouty manchild comedies. Sure, it may not be the most sophisticated comedy out there, but sometimes you just need a good laugh, and Step Brothers delivers that in spades.
Step Brothers is a movie that will make you laugh until you cry, and then laugh some more. It’s not the most complex screenplay, but it doesn’t need to be. The chemistry between Ferrell and Reilly is undeniable, and the bizarre personality dissonance of their characters is pure comedic gold. Sure, it’s unremittingly juvenile, but who cares when it’s this funny? And let’s not forget the hilarious sleepwalking scene that will have you in stitches. If you’re looking for a movie that will make you forget your troubles and just laugh, Step Brothers is the perfect choice.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2008
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 35m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 25, 2008 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 2, 2008
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Will Ferrell, John C Reilly, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, directed by Adam McKay, written by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, comedy, R rating, box office gross $100.5M, produced by Jimmy Miller and Judd Apatow, reviewed by Film.com, Financial Times, Time Out, CNN.com, St Louis Post-Dispatch, Irish Times, Washington City Paper, TheIndependentCritic.com, Bowling Green Daily News, Toledo Blade, unrated extended edition, lazy, unemployed, parents, rivalry, narcissism, crude humor, pervasive language, Apatow Productions, Mosaic Media Group
Worldwide gross: $128,107,642
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $100,468,793
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
John C. Reilly – Dale Doback
Richard Jenkins – Robert
Mary Steenburgen – Nancy
Adam Scott – Derek Huff
Kathryn Hahn – Alice Huff
Director – Adam McKay
Producers – Jimmy Miller, Judd Apatow
Writers – Will Ferrell, Adam McKay
Director(s)
Adam McKay
Writer(s)
Will Ferrell, Adam McKay
Producer(s)
Jimmy Miller, Judd Apatow
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (204) | Top Critics (62) | Fresh (112) | Rotten (92)
It isn’t even the funniest movie I’ve seen this year. But it sure made me laugh.
March 30, 2019 | Rating: B-
Dre Rivas
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
The potentially gooey conclusion is leavened with cynical irreverence.
March 30, 2019
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
The shouty variety of manchild comedy that Ferrell has cribbed from Jerry Lewis divides movie fans intensely. Here’s the one we should put in the time capsule.
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Unremittingly juvenile and irredeemably funny.
October 18, 2008
Tom Charity
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
On its own terms, Step Brothers is hilarious. But it’s a shame that the filmmakers didn’t have more faith in the audience. Why resort to gross-out tactics when your premise is strong enough to allow for a more sophisticated approach?
October 18, 2008 | Rating: B
Calvin Wilson
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
Step Brothers is the latest movie from Adam McKay, the director of Anchorman and Talladega Nights, and, like those two fine entertainments, it rejoices in making a virtue of its own rampant stupidity.
October 18, 2008
Donald Clarke
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
I still don’t know if this is quite the Dadaist masterpiece people make it out to be, whereas a movie like Hot Rod accomplishes the purposeful absurdism with a lot more consistency. But y’know, it’s still pretty darn funny.
January 15, 2023
Cory Woodroof
615 Film
The genius of Step Brothers isn’t merely the reunion of Ferrell and Reilly… Better is the bizarre personality dissonance of the perpetually fighting characters.
October 17, 2022
Tricia Olszewski
Washington City Paper
One of those films that is impossible to rate highly, but impossible to not recommend.
September 24, 2020 | Rating: 2.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Step Brothers obviously isn’t the most complex screenplay ever written, but Ferrell, McKay and Reilly (who all co-wrote the film) manage to milk plenty of comedy out of essentially a one-joke movie.
June 26, 2019 | Rating: B-
Micheal Compton
Bowling Green Daily News
We’ve been down this path before with Ferrell, and at this point it feels like we’re just walking in circles.
June 6, 2019 | Rating: 2/4
Mattie Lucas
The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)
The film doesn’t aspire to much. It’s happy to milk laughs from creative swearing, goofy, childish behavior, and a hilarious digression that explains exactly why you should never wake a sleepwalker. It does all of this well.
March 30, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Ryan E. Smith
Toledo Blade…
Plot
Step Brothers is a comedy about two lazy, unemployed stepbrothers who must work together to reunite their parents after their insane rivalry and narcissism pull the new family apart.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Step Brothers features a hilarious onscreen chemistry between Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.
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