Step Brothers *
Adam McKay, 2008
US
@ Pacific Place
Eh. There was plenty to laugh at, but generally the situations were funnier than the execution. The idea of 40-year-olds getting bullied by kids is hilarious, but out of proportion to what we actually experience. In Talladega Nights, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly were funny, and then Sacha Baron Cohen stepped in to set things off. Here there's no third party who's nearly as funny.
So obviously I don't have much problem with critics who don't find the film as funny as it could be. I do think it's a bit weird to take exception to the obscenity, though. As with In Search of a Midnight Kiss (and Kevin Smith's movies), those tend to be the most reliable bits. Is it a generational thing?
It also doesn't seem very germane to this or any one comedy in particular to lament the lack of complex female characters. Take a look at this list of highest-grossing American comedies. They're almost entirely centered around males with serious and/or sexy (ie not terribly interesting) female foils. Not much different for most successful romantic comedies that come to mind, either. (And serious movies are frequently no better at respecting their actresses.) I understand the need to repeat complaints that have not been addressed for several decades now, but it also strikes me as a bit tiresome at this point. Eventually it's got to be time for a change of strategy for feminist critics or simply any segment of the population who gets tired of seeing the same guys starring in comedies all the time. Perhaps advocacy of the few Hollywood films that do feature excellent female leads, or foreign and/or older movies that could be remade. Just pointing out that a particular movie doesn't feature complex females doesn't seem to be doing anyone any good.
See also: IMDb | Metacritic
Adam McKay, 2008
US
@ Pacific Place
Eh. There was plenty to laugh at, but generally the situations were funnier than the execution. The idea of 40-year-olds getting bullied by kids is hilarious, but out of proportion to what we actually experience. In Talladega Nights, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly were funny, and then Sacha Baron Cohen stepped in to set things off. Here there's no third party who's nearly as funny.
So obviously I don't have much problem with critics who don't find the film as funny as it could be. I do think it's a bit weird to take exception to the obscenity, though. As with In Search of a Midnight Kiss (and Kevin Smith's movies), those tend to be the most reliable bits. Is it a generational thing?
It also doesn't seem very germane to this or any one comedy in particular to lament the lack of complex female characters. Take a look at this list of highest-grossing American comedies. They're almost entirely centered around males with serious and/or sexy (ie not terribly interesting) female foils. Not much different for most successful romantic comedies that come to mind, either. (And serious movies are frequently no better at respecting their actresses.) I understand the need to repeat complaints that have not been addressed for several decades now, but it also strikes me as a bit tiresome at this point. Eventually it's got to be time for a change of strategy for feminist critics or simply any segment of the population who gets tired of seeing the same guys starring in comedies all the time. Perhaps advocacy of the few Hollywood films that do feature excellent female leads, or foreign and/or older movies that could be remade. Just pointing out that a particular movie doesn't feature complex females doesn't seem to be doing anyone any good.
See also: IMDb | Metacritic
Labels: 1 Star, 2008, Adam McKay, US
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