The Cinema of the Four

Step Brothers

You may have heard me mention, Langdale Pike IV, who serves as my human book of reference on all matters of motion picture social scandal, just as his great-grandfather did for my great-grandfather over a century ago -- sans the words “motion picture,” of course. When Pike informed me, a few weeks ago, that actor Will Ferrell was set to play Dr. Watson in an upcoming film, it seemed time to vary my routine and forego the latest installment in the “Mummy” movies to investigate Mr. Ferrell’s current abilities. So it was that I found myself, seated in the back row of theater 14 of the Rave Motion Pictures establishment nearest Baker Street, looking into his latest effort, “Step Brothers.”

One expects a certain level of puerile comedy from a Will Ferrell film. Unlike other comic actors, who rise to fame and suddenly start seeking dramatic validation, Mr. Ferrell knows what he does well and seems happy to keep doing it. And with an “R” rating, the savvy viewer knows to expect that “Step Brothers” might contain a certain raunchy level of humor and the occasional sight of forty-something male nudity. None of these things seem like they would fit into a movie about Sherlock Holmes, so I must admit that I entered this investigation with a certaing skepticism.

One can then imagine my surprise in discovering that Ferrll, co-star John C. Reilly, and Adam Scott somehow invoke the relationship dynamics of Sherlock, Watson, and Mycroft on film. Incredible, you say? Exactly.

The plot involves two forty-something man-childs, Brennan and Dale, whose parents find common ground and marry after a whirlwind romance. And as much as one admires the professional expertise of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, there was always a touch of “the boys club” to their adventures. The eccentric habits, the random enthusiasms . . . it is not too hard to see some parallel there. Enter the uber-successful Derek, the more-grown-up brother of Brennan, and the two find their ultimate bond. (And who was ever more successful than brother Mycroft, who “was” the British government.)

Seeing the step-brothers fight against giving into normalcy is not exactly a battle against Moriarty’s criminal empire, but it’s a Will Ferrell comedy, and, I think, one of his better ones. Where Holmes mastered the deft stroke of genius that you could not help but be amazed at, Ferrell seems to have done likewise with the move so stupid that you can’t help but laugh. And there are a lot of laughs to be had here.

One warning: don’t leave the minute the credits start rolling, lest you miss the great martial arts battle between Dale and Brennan and the playground full of young bullies. As W.C. Fields well knew, while society doesn’t encourage the booting of a child under normal conditions, it can be great fun to see in the right sort of movie.

What Great-Grandfather Sherlock Might Have Said:
“Clearly it would be to the interest of the family to get rid of the delinquent and send him abroad rather than keep him concealed at home.”