Step Brothers - B-

In theaters.

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly still live with their single parents (Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins, respectively) and enjoy their unemployed lives of video games and musical dreams. When their parents meet and decide to wed, they become step brothers. At first they are competitive rivals, but when Ferrell’s biologic brother (Adam Scott) shows up, brandishing his success and belittling their lack thereof, they become fast friends. By the time the credits roll, Horatio Sanz will sing 80s Billy Joel, old dog poop will be licked, and "Sweet Child O' Mine" will be sung a cappella.

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The movie is funnier than Semi-Pro mostly because of Richard Jenkins, who throws around the F-word as better than you can imagine. Ferrell and Reilly throw out hilarious one-liners too and bounce off each other better than they did in Talladega Nights. They are blessedly free of a PG-13 rating and many of the biggest laughs couldn’t be found without a restricted rating. Reilly is a strong presence that Ferrell missed in Semi-Pro. The archetypal portrayals of a mother’s love and a father’s toughness are shown well by the recently married couple. And they are welcome (although probably brief) additions to the Judd Apatow entourage. The movie makes lots of missteps and basically derails during the climactic scene (Ferrell sings/rapes Andrea Bocelli’s "Con te Partiro"). The message of allowing people to remain adolescents into their 40s is a dubious one, but this is funny and worth seeing for a many R-rated laughs. Can’t imagine how the edited version will play on regular TV. B-