Step Brothers Review

Wil Ferrell and John C. Reilly team up to bring us Step Brother (they also starred together in Talladega Nights). Brennan Huff (Ferrell) is a 39 year old unemployed bum who still lives with his mother (Mary Steenburgen). He plays video games and eats nachos all day long. His mother meets Robert (Richard Jenkins) at a medical conference and fall in love. They quickly get married. The catch, Robert has a 40 year unemployed bum for a son too, Dale (Reilly). Right from the start, they hate each other and try to maim and embarrass each other constantly. They only stop trying to kill each other when they are threatened by Brennan’s younger brother, Derek (Adam Scott). He is very successful, has a nice family, and is an over-the-top asshole to his brother and new step-brother.

Both Ferrell and Reilly are very funny in their slacker roles. Their gags come non-stop for the first half of the movie. When they team up to become successful, their company’s (Prestige International) rap video is one of the most outrageous things you’ll see this year in a movie. But the big scene-stealer is Adam Scott, who plays an arrogant prick who enjoys taunting his brother and rubbing his success in his face. A close runner-up is Kathryn Hayn, who plays Alice, Derek’s wife. Her scenes with Reilly are downright hilarious.

The film was very good and the pacing excellent. The plot is non-existent, but let’s be honest, plot is usually secondary in most comedies anyways (or a way to set-up more gags). There is hardly a let-up in jokes and gags, and the scene where Ferrell buries Reilly is classic Wil Ferrell.

http://www.stepbrothers-movie.com/

7 out of 10

Hancock review

Hancock is a socially inept homeless alcoholic, who has no respect for anyone. The catch of course, is that Hancock is also a superhero, who can fly, is invulnerable and fights crime when he can sober up. His general disdain for society is shown by his actions. One day he saves Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) from getting crushed by a train. Embrey is a PR man who takes Hancock under his wing and proposes to repair his terrible media image. Embrey’s wife (Charlize Theron) thinks Hancock is nothing but trouble and that her husband should stop helping him. Embrey’s first piece of advice is to let the D.A. arrest Hancock and put him in jail, making people realize that they need Hancock.

Much like the Incredibles tried to portray what might if superheroes really existed, Hancock takes a page from that book and shows what happens to a superhero, who despite his good intentions, sometimes does more harm than good. The movie starts as a satire on the superhero genre and for the first half is very good. The jokes are good and effects, while not perfect, are still pretty good. After his return to Los Angeles though, the movie falls apart. Through an interesting plot twist, Hancock learns of his origins and his past. A villain appears from out of nowhere and attacks Hancock at the exact moment he learns of his vulnerability. That shift from satire to a very dark movie is odd and totally unexpected.

All in all, the movie was pretty good, but it’s likely not going to be the summer blockbuster Sony was hoping for.

http://www.hancock-movie.com/

8 out of 10