Step Brothers (film)

Last updated

Step Brothers
StepbrothersMP08.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Adam McKay
Screenplay by
Story by
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Oliver Wood
Edited by Brent White
Music by Jon Brion
Production
companies
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • July 25, 2008 (2008-07-25)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$65 million [1]
Box office$128.1 million [1]

Step Brothers is a 2008 American comedy film directed by Adam McKay, produced by Jimmy Miller and Judd Apatow, and written by Will Ferrell and McKay from a story by Ferrell, McKay, and John C. Reilly. It follows Brennan (Ferrell) and Dale (Reilly), two grown men who are forced to live together as brothers after their single parents, with whom they still live, marry each other. Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, Adam Scott, and Kathryn Hahn also star.

Contents

The film was released by Sony Pictures Releasing on July 25, 2008, two years after Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby . Both films feature the same main actors, as well as the same producing and writing team. It grossed $128.1 million and received mixed reviews.

Plot

39-year-old Brennan Huff and 40-year-old Dale Doback are immature adults still living at home. Brennan lives with his divorced mother, Nancy, and Dale lives with his widowed father, Robert. Robert and Nancy meet, fall in love, and marry, forcing Brennan and Dale to live together as step brothers. Brennan and Dale initially despise each other, and after Brennan defies Dale and touches Dale's drum set (once with his testicles), a fight erupts between them. They are grounded with no television for a week and are ordered to find jobs within a month or be evicted.

When Brennan's arrogant classist younger brother Derek, a successful helicopter leasing agent, visits with his family, he openly ridicules Dale and Brennan, and Dale punches him in the face. Brennan is awed that Dale stood up to Derek, while Derek's discontented wife Alice finds Dale's courage attractive and begins a sexual affair with him. Brennan and Dale bond over their shared tastes and interests, particularly music. Robert, meanwhile, schedules several job interviews for them, but they perform poorly and then are attacked on their way home by school children. Robert and Nancy reveal that with Derek's help they plan to sell the house, retire and travel the world on Robert's sailboat. They also sign Brennan and Dale up for therapy and set up bank accounts for them to live off of until they find work. Brennan is attracted to his therapist, Denise, but the attraction is not mutual.

At Derek's birthday party, Dale and Brennan present a pitch video for their entertainment company, "Prestige Worldwide", that includes a music video, "Boats 'N Hoes", which they filmed on Robert's boat without his knowledge. The presentation backfires when the video shows the boat crashing, shattering Robert and Nancy's sailing dreams and straining their marriage. On Christmas, Robert and Nancy announce they are getting divorced, upsetting Brennan and Dale, who blame each other. Brennan and Dale go their separate ways, live independently and gradually become functioning adults.

Brennan gets a job at Derek's helicopter leasing firm and volunteers to oversee a prestigious event, the Catalina Wine Mixer. He hires the catering company that employs Dale and invites Robert and Nancy to attend. The party goes well until the lead singer of the hired Billy Joel cover band loses his temper with a heckler and is hustled away. Derek blames Brennan for the fiasco and fires him. Robert encourages Brennan and Dale to be their eccentric child-at-heart selves again and perform to save the party. The pair take the stage and Brennan sings "Por Ti Volaré" while Dale accompanies him on drums. Derek is so moved by Brennan's performance that he and Brennan make amends and Dale breaks off his relationship with Alice, to her dismay.

Six months later, Robert and Nancy are back together living in their old house, while Brennan and Dale have turned "Prestige Worldwide" into a successful entertainment company that owns various karaoke bars and clubs. Robert has turned his boat into a tree house and the therapist, Denise, confesses her attraction for Brennan. During the ending credits, Dale and Brennan exact their revenge on the school children who previously beat them up.

Cast

Release

Theatrical

Step Brothers was released in the United States on July 25, 2008.

Home media

The film was released for home video on December 2, 2008, in a single-disc rated edition, a single-disc unrated edition and a 2-disc unrated edition. The film generated sales of an estimated 3.87 million units in DVD and Blu-ray, totaling $63.7 million. [2] For the home video release, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Adam McKay recorded a commentary track mostly in song, accompanied by Jon Brion; the track covers "the movie-making process [and] their characters' offscreen lives" in remarks that range "from the inspired to the irritatingly prolonged, but when Ferrell and Reilly really get into a good groove, they're actually funnier than the main feature". [3] Step Brothers was released on 4K Blu-Ray on October 2, 2018. [4]

Reception

Box office

Step Brothers opened in 3,094 theaters and grossed $30.9 million. [1] It went on to gross $100,468,793 domestically and $27,638,849 internationally for a total of $128,107,642. [1]

Critical reception

Step Brothers received mixed or average reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 55% based on 205 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Step Brothers indulges in a cheerfully relentless immaturity that will quickly turn off viewers unamused by Ferrell and Reilly -- and delight those who find their antics hilarious." [5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [6] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B" on scale of A to F. [7]

Roger Ebert gave the film 1.5 out of 4 stars and stated, "When did comedies get so mean? Step Brothers has a premise that might have produced a good time at the movies, but when I left, I felt a little unclean". [8]

Ty Burr in the Boston Globe wrote, "'Step Brothers' is crudely funny, which means that sometimes it's crudely hilarious and more often it's just crude." [9] Variety critic John Anderson wrote, "the film is funny at times but lapses into the reflexive vulgarity that seems to be the default mechanism of the Apatow machinery." [10]

In the British Film Institute's 2012 Sight & Sound polls of the greatest movies ever made, The Snowtown Murders and Macbeth director Justin Kurzel named Step Brothers one of his 10 favorite films. [11]

Cultural and political reception

In the movie, Dale and Brennan make a video to pitch both Robert and Derek about investing in Prestige Worldwide, with a music video for a song titled "Boats 'N' Hoes". Since the release of the film, "Boats 'N' Hoes" has contributed to the success of the movie with over a million hits on YouTube and merchandise that references the song. [12]

A political action committee (PAC) known as the "Boats 'N' Hoes PAC" was registered by Shaun Nowacki with the Texas Ethics Commission in 2014. Nowacki's firm was hired by multiple Republicans in Texas including 48th Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick (who was running for Lieutenant Governor), and Donna Campbell (who was campaigning for State Senator). The purpose of the PAC was never shared and was criticized by Lisa Paul, who served as the Texas Democratic Party Deputy Communications Director. Paul said, "Texas Republicans say they want to reach out to women, to be more inclusive, but actions like this reinforce a pattern of disrespect... Their contempt towards women is simply unforgivable." [13]

The Catalina Wine Mixer event depicted in the film was not a real event that existed before or during the creation of the film. The event has since been created and hosted on Catalina Island on Descanso Beach. [14]

Future

Cancelled rap album

McKay announced on Twitter in 2011 that production of a Step Brothers rap album featuring Ferrell and Reilly had begun, [15] but later said that the rap album fell apart and will not be released. [16]

Possible sequel

Over the years, Ferrell and Reilly have talked about a sequel. Reilly had the idea. [17] [18] In 2008, McKay was interviewed about a possible sequel, and said:

We're kicking around the idea of Step Brothers 2. We feel like there's way more fat to be mined there. While it isn't quite the legend that Anchorman is, it has built kind of a nice following. We think it could be a pretty fun one.

He added that Ferrell and Reilly's characters would be mature and have jobs. "One of them's married and has a kid. They're still kind of goofballs but they've taken three or four steps. Then we have an idea for something happens that knocks him back to square one, and one of the brothers, John C. Reilly sort of instigates it, like 'we can't take this anymore.' And things go really bad, their lives kind of fall apart. They have to pull it back together is sort of the basic structure." McKay has also said that ideas that were not used in the first film may be used in the sequel. [19] [20]

McKay spoke to Empire in February 2014 and appeared to rule out a sequel to Anchorman 2 or Step Brothers saying, "No, that's the last sequel we're gonna do. There's nothing more fun to me than new characters and a new world. And now we're releasing this alt version, we're totally satisfied. No Anchorman 3." [21]

In a 2014 interview with Collider, McKay indicated the door was still open for a Step Brothers sequel at some point, while making clear it wasn't a short-term development priority, stating:

We have a whole story [for Step Brothers 2], an outline that we're happy with. We were ready to go, and you know the story of [how] we got the call on Anchorman 2. We're not gonna do it now 'cause we just did a sequel, I don't wanna get into the sequel business too much. It was kind of a novelty to do one of them and it was certainly very interesting and I had never done anything like it. So I want to go make some original movies—or you know, The Big Short is an adaptation but do some different stuff. But who knows? 2–3 years, 3–4 years. I mean the funny thing with Step Brothers is if those guys are in their 50s it still works, so we could easily return to that, but for now no sequels. [22]

In February 2017, Ferrell said in an interview with Rolling Stone that there are currently no plans for a sequel to Step Brothers. [23]

In November 2020, Reilly said in an interview on Conan [24] of a sequel:

Like a lot of artists, all three of us felt like 'Unless we were really sure we could make a better version or improve on what it is, let's leave it alone.' Sequels are hard to pull off.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Ferrell</span> American actor, comedian, and producer (born 1967)

John William Ferrell is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Ferrell is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. He has earned four Emmy Awards and in 2011 was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. In 2015, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was named the best comedian in British GQ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John C. Reilly</span> American actor (born 1965)

John Christopher Reilly is an American actor. He is known as a character actor taking leading and supporting roles in independent drama films and studio comedies. He gained exposure through his supporting roles in Paul Thomas Anderson's films Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997) and Magnolia (1999), and Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (2002) and The Aviator (2004). Reilly was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the corresponding Golden Globe Award for his role in the musical film Chicago (2002). Reilly's other notable films include The River Wild (1994), The Thin Red Line (1998), and The Hours (2002).

<i>Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy</i> 2004 film directed by Adam McKay

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a 2004 American satirical comedy film directed by Adam McKay in his directorial debut, produced by Judd Apatow, starring Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate and written by McKay and Ferrell. The first installment in the Anchorman series, the film is a tongue-in-cheek take on the culture of the 1970s, particularly the new Action News format. It portrays a San Diego television station where Ferrell's title character clashes with his new female counterpart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam McKay</span> American filmmaker and comedian (born 1968)

Adam McKay is an American filmmaker. McKay began his career as a head writer for the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2001. Following his departure, he rose to fame in the 2000s for his collaborations with comedian Will Ferrell, co-writing his comedy films Anchorman (2004), Talladega Nights (2006), Step Brothers (2008), and The Other Guys (2010). Ferrell and McKay later co-wrote and co-produced numerous television series and films, with McKay himself co-producing their website Funny or Die through their company Gary Sanchez Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Koechner</span> American actor and comedian

David Michael Koechner is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing roles such as Champ Kind in the Anchorman films and Todd Packer on The Office series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judd Apatow</span> American filmmaker (born 1967)

Judd Apatow is an American director, producer and screenwriter, best known for his work in comedy films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), Funny People (2009), This Is 40 (2012), Trainwreck (2015), The King of Staten Island (2020), and The Bubble (2022).

The Frat Pack is a nickname given to a group of American comedy actors who have appeared together in many of the highest-grossing comedy films since the mid-1990s. The group is usually considered to include Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Jack Black, and Vince Vaughn.

<i>The Other Guys</i> 2010 buddy cop action comedy film by Adam McKay

The Other Guys is a 2010 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Adam McKay, who co-wrote it with Chris Henchy. It stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg with Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson in supporting roles.

<i>Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby</i> 2006 American sports comedy film

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a 2006 American sports comedy film directed by Adam McKay who co-wrote the film with Will Ferrell. It features Ferrell as the titular Ricky Bobby, an immature yet successful NASCAR driver. The film also features John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Jane Lynch, and Amy Adams in supporting roles. NASCAR drivers Jamie McMurray and Dale Earnhardt Jr. appear in cameos, as do broadcasting teams from NASCAR on Fox and NASCAR on NBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Sanchez Productions</span> Production company

Gary Sanchez Productions was an American film and television production company founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay.

<i>Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie</i> 2004 film by Adam McKay

Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie is a 2004 American direct-to-video counterpart film to the film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy of the same year. Like the original film, it was directed by Adam McKay, produced by Judd Apatow, written by McKay and Will Ferrell, and stars Ferrell, Christina Applegate, David Koechner, Steve Carell, and Paul Rudd. It is composed of outtakes and scrapped storylines from the original film.

Brent White is an American film editor with credits on feature films dating from 1993. White has worked on comedy films produced by Judd Apatow, and directed by Apatow, Adam McKay or Paul Feig.

Funny or Die Presents is a half-hour sketch comedy show that spawned from the comedy website Funny or Die, created by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. It premiered on HBO on February 19, 2010.

"Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" is the seventeenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 75th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-producer Kay Cannon and series creator Tina Fey. The episode was directed by series producer Don Scardino. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 22, 2010. Guest stars in this episode include Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Steve Hely, Julianne Moore, and Ariel Shafir.

<i>Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues</i> 2013 film by Adam McKay

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is a 2013 American comedy film and the sequel to the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. As with the original film, it is directed by Adam McKay, produced by Judd Apatow, written by McKay and Will Ferrell, and stars Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, and Christina Applegate, all reprising their roles from the first film. Harrison Ford, Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, Meagan Good, and Dylan Baker all join the cast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Ferrell filmography</span>

The following is the filmography of American actor, comedian, producer and writer Will Ferrell.

The Anchorman series is a media franchise initially consisting of three American comedy films – Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie, and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013). The films were produced by Judd Apatow, directed by Adam McKay, and written by McKay and Will Ferrell. The films star Ferrell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Steve Carell, and Christina Applegate as Ron Burgundy, Brian Fantana, Champ Kind, Brick Tamland, and Veronica Corningstone, respectively. The films were distributed by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures. A podcast series, The Ron Burgundy Podcast, produced by Big Money Players and written by Jake Fogelnest, with Ferrell reprising his role alongside Carolina Barlow, aired for 57 episodes across four seasons on iHeartRadio from February 7, 2019 to August 19, 2021, with a fifth season in active development.

<i>Zoolander 2</i> 2016 American film

Zoolander 2 is a 2016 American action comedy film directed by Ben Stiller and written by John Hamburg, Justin Theroux, Stiller, and Nicholas Stoller. It is the sequel to the 2001 film Zoolander. Most of the principal cast members from the previous film reprised their roles including Stiller, Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor, Will Ferrell, Milla Jovovich, Nathan Lee Graham, Theroux, Billy Zane, Tommy Hilfiger and Jerry Stiller in his final feature film while Alexander Skarsgård also returned in a different role. New cast members include Penélope Cruz, Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen.

<i>Holmes & Watson</i> 2018 film by Etan Cohen

Holmes & Watson is a 2018 mystery comedy film written and directed by Etan Cohen. The film stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as the eponymous characters Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, respectively; with Rebecca Hall, Rob Brydon, Kelly Macdonald, Steve Coogan and Ralph Fiennes in supporting roles. The plot follows the famed detective duo as they set out to find the culprit behind a threat at Buckingham Palace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John C. Reilly filmography</span>

John C. Reilly is an American actor and writer. After his film debut Above the Law, he gained exposure through supporting roles for Days of Thunder, What's Eating Gilbert Grape and The River Wild. Reilly collaborated with Paul Thomas Anderson on several films, including Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Licorice Pizza. For his role in Chicago, Reilly was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the corresponding Golden Globe Award. He worked with director Martin Scorsese on both Gangs of New York and The Aviator. He starred in the comedy Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, garnering him a Grammy Award nomination and two Golden Globe Award nominations for his performance and the song performed in the film, "Walk Hard". Reilly starred with Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights and Step Brothers. He voiced the title character in the commercially successful animated film Wreck-It Ralph and its 2018 sequel. Reilly starred in the television series Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule, and played the titular character that originated on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Step Brothers (2008)". Box Office Mojo.
  2. "Step Brothers - DVD Sales". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  3. "Now with extra farts! 25 1/2 gimmicky DVD commentary tracks". The A.V. Club. November 1, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2012. But to make it more of a challenge, Ferrell and company sing most of the commentary, accompanied by Jon Brion, who vamps while the boys free-associate about the movie-making process, their characters' off-screen lives, and the exorbitant price they had to pay for a pair of fake testicles. Because it's all spontaneous, the commentary ranges from the inspired to the irritatingly prolonged, but when Ferrell and Reilly really get into a good groove, they're actually funnier than the main feature.
  4. Step Brothers 4K Blu-ray Release Date October 2, 2018 , retrieved May 18, 2021
  5. "Step Brothers (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  6. "Step Brothers". Metacritic . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  7. "STEP BROTHERS (2008) B". CinemaScore . Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
  8. Ebert, Roger (July 23, 2008). "The feel-bad comedy of the year!". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  9. 'Step Brothers' is crude, rude - and funny. Burr, Ty. Boston Globe; 25 July 2008: D.8.
  10. Step Brothers. Anderson, John. Variety; Jul 28-Aug 3, 2008: 24.
  11. "Step Brothers (2008)". British Film Institute. August 20, 2012. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  12. boats n hoes. Youtube.com. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  13. Bassett, Laura (April 17, 2014). "GOP Consulting Firm Staffer Registers 'Boats 'N Hoes PAC' (UPDATE)". Huffington Post . Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  14. Goble, Andrew (September 9, 2015). "The Catalina Wine Mixer Is a Real Event Now". GQ.
  15. McGlynn, Katla (January 4, 2011). "Is There A 'Step Brothers' Rap Album In The Works?". Huffington Post.
  16. Jagernauth, Evin (November 13, 2012). "Exclusive: Adam McKay Says 'Step Brothers' Rap Album Fell Apart, Sequel Still Possible But Won't Be Next". The Playlist.
  17. Brew, Simon (September 15, 2008). "Anchorman and Step Brothers sequels?". Den of Geek . Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  18. ""Step Brothers": Reunited And It Feels So Good". The Urban Daily. July 28, 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  19. Zakarin, Jordan (June 17, 2011). "'Step Brothers' Sequel: John C. Reilly Talks Potential Sequel, Talks 'Hunger Games' Mixup". Huffington Post. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  20. "Adam McKay Accepts the Death Of 'Anchorman 2' And Pitches 'Step Brothers' Sequel". Screen Junkies . March 21, 2011. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  21. Germain Lussier (February 27, 2014). "'Anchorman 3′ Won't Happen Says Adam McKay". Slashfilm.com. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  22. Chitwood, Adam (October 20, 2014). "Adam McKay Says UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT Isn't Happening; THE BIG SHORT Is Next But STEP BROTHERS 2 Could Happen in a Few Years". Collider .
  23. Greene, Andy (February 21, 2017). "Will Ferrell on 'Step Brothers' Sequel: 'You Have to Resist the Temptation'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  24. "From Largo Theatre John C. Reilly". Conan. Season 10. Episode 102. November 9, 2020. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020.