The two teamed again for Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby, and added a new wrinkle in the form of excellent veteran character actor and personal favorite of mine John C. Reilly. It had its moments, but aside from the addition of Reilly and Sacha Baron Cohen, it wasn’t as good as Anchorman. The laughs were fewer, and the dumb Will Ferrell posturing increased dramatically.
At a medical conference, Dr. Robert Doback (Richard Jenkins) is presenting his new hearing aid design. In the audience is the comely Nancy Huff (Mary Steenburgen, who doesn’t have a time-traveling boyfriend for once). There is an instant connection, leading to feverish making out while sharing their personal details. You know, the classic ‘getting to know you’ screw.
As it turns out, Robert and Nancy have a lot of things in common. They like the same sorts of food, they like sailing, and they both have emotionally-stunted middle-aged man-children who still live at home. Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) is one of Nancy’s two children. Unlike his little brother Derek (Adam Scott), Brennan is a hopeless loser who still lives at home and can’t hold a job. Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) is the only son of Robert, who dropped out of college to join the family business. Unfortunately for Dale, his father is a doctor. Because both Dale and Brennan are basically worthless, when Robert and Nancy move in together, the kids come along for the ride and hilarity supposedly ensues. It doesn’t.
Yes, I know that with every Will Ferrell movie there’s pressure to top the antics of the previous films. Hence more cursing than Talladega, more sex references than Anchorman, and more underwear parading than both. What doesn’t result is more laughter, even with an incredibly unpleasant subplot involving Derek’s wife Alice (Kathryn Hahn), who must be schizophrenic given how her emotional ability threatens to surpass even Brennan. It’s rare to out Will Ferrell the man himself, but Kathryn Hahn tries her damnedest.
The big laughs actually come from mostly from Richard Jenkins as the exasperated Dr. Doback. Will Ferrell does his usual shtick, screaming and prancing and flailing wildly. John C. Reilly gamely joins in, though his character is the smarter and more grounded of the two step brothers. Mary Steenburgen’s Nancy has little to do other than be an enabler to the boys and serve as the indulgent voice versus Dr. Doback’s more frustrated, pushing authority figure (though this newfound forcefulness is roughly 30 years too late to help his indolent son).
I think that’s one of the things that bothered me about this film. Given that I liked Superbad, I obviously have no problems with a lot of vulgarity. There’s a significant amount of cruelty that takes away some of the supposed fun that should be had in Step Brothers that isn’t present in Superbad. Superbad has a heart; Step Brothers is pure id.
US correspondent Ron Hogan is disappointed in John C. Reilly at the moment. Find more by Ron at his blog, Subtle Bluntness, and daily at Shaktronics.
