Ferrell stars as Brendan Huff, a 39-year-old who still lives with his mommy, Nancy, the ever charming and supremely patient Mary Steenburgen. When Nancy marries Robert Doback (Richard Jenkins), a doctor whose 40-year-old son Dale (John C. Reilly) still lives at home, the two families, both pillars of dysfunction, are forced to learn how to live under one roof.
Dale and Brendan start out as mortal enemies but quickly realize they’re perfectly suited and become best friends. Their ensuing hijinks are meant to keep the audience entertained for two hours, but there are only so many laughs a set of prosthetic testicles and the licking of dog excrement can provide.
When you remember that Reilly was nominated for an Oscar and Ferrell was once hailed as the most brilliant comic talent of his generation, the lack of laughs goes from annoying to depressing. What happened, guys?
Grade: D
Step Brothers is currently in theaters.