Much of what Ferrell and John Reilly accomplish is clearly ad-libbing, and improvisation made popular in stand-up comedy clubs. Sometimes the story line seems a bit lost, without a plot to hang on to, without much character development, spent waiting for the expected punch line of a joke you know you have already heard a million times.

While "Step Brothers" is full of the usual sophomoric fart jokes, pubic hair jokes, plays on curse words, and childhood angst experienced by most teens, it was somewhat difficult to watch two grown men work so hard to appear so "child like" and unable to manage their adult lives. It seemed unnatural.

Ferrell has scored box-office gold with a string of films including "Old School", "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and "Kicking & Screaming." John Reilly has less success with "Walk Hard", but is able to also play serious roles. Both starred in "Talladega Nights." All these movies were somewhat funny and had some redeeming qualities. "Step Brothers" hardly has any.

Ferrell seems to have only one gear - full on idiocy and joke making, almost seeming to throw out a joke and then wait to see if anybody laughs. He seems only able to play his one character type. It just never stops.

The movie plot could actually be a good one: Two spoiled guys become competitive stepbrothers after their single parents get hitched.

Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) is a thirty-nine-year-old who has never left home and lives with his divorced mother, Nancy Huff (Mary Steenburgen). Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) is a forty-year-old who also has never left home and lives with his widower father, Dr. Robert Doback (Richard Jenkins).

Both of them are unemployed and have been living off the goodness of their parents their whole lives. Nancy meets Robert; they fall in love, marry, and move into Robert's home.

The two sons are forced to live together in the same room as step brothers. Brennan and Dale initially hate each other, but find out that they are not too different. They are like 12-year-olds trapped in adult bodies who haven't grown up and live in their own little worlds.

Don't get me wrong, there will be lots of people who love this movie and will see it more than once. It's just not going to be the next "Iron Man" or "Dark Knight".

Ferrell's next project may give him a chance to redeem himself. Scheduled for release next July is the family adventure "Land Of The Lost", based on the old Saturday morning cartoon about a forest ranger, who along with his two children inadvertently stumble into a mysterious land populated by dinosaurs and other creatures, including the mysterious and dangerous race of Sleestak.

John C. Reilly will be seen later this year in the adventure thriller "Cirque du Freak" working with Salma Hayek, about a young boy named Darren Shan who meets a mysterious man at a freak show who turns out to be a Vampire. After a series of events Darren must leave his normal life and go on the road with the "Cirque Du Freak" and become a Vampire also.

Reilly will also be seen this December in the animated adventure "9" starring Jennifer Connelly and Elijah Wood, about a post-apocalyptic nightmare in which all of humanity is threatened.

Source: Reported by StarLink Celebrity Blog http://starlinkcelebblog.blogspot.com/