By Troy Haines
Will Ferrell makes me laugh. I’m not unique in this, he makes most people laugh. That said, there are only so many times you can break into spontaneous random songs or threaten to punch someone “square in the mouth” before it gets old. There are only so many underdog sports star movies you can do as well (Kicking and Screaming, Talladega Nights, Blades of Glory, and Semi-pro combined to make the idea get a little old), and “Step Brothers” had plenty of both. As a matter of fact there was not one, not two, but three random burst-into-song scenes and countless physical and verbal sparring matches between Ferrell and co-star John C. Reilly, so the movie did grow old quickly. Like most of Ferrell’s movies since “Anchorman,” this one was one part hilarity and four parts filler, and it did rely heavily on ad-libbed material from both Ferrell and Reilly. It was much better than most of Ferrell’s recent movies, however, and at times it was extremely funny. John C. Reilly absolutely ran away with the movie and left you seeing Ferrell as an afterthought. As with “Semi-pro,” this was a production that broke away from the typical PG-13 format and gained an R rating for language, and the attempt at using vulgarity as humor once again failed. All in all this movie is worth seeing, but expect to spend some time checking your watch and waiting for the next laugh. Grade: C+
Now on DVD
“Awake” — This was the surprise of the group for me. The premise of the movie, which is about a young billionaire who finds himself awake during a surgery in which the doctors are planning to kill him, but he is unable to do anything about it, is a bit flimsy. Decent performances by Hayden Christensen and Terrance Howard carry the movie fairly well. There is also a small role by Christopher McDonald, who I always enjoy, which is quite good. Add to that Jessica Alba in a role that is a departure for her and a script that has plenty of well thought out twists, and this movie was not half-bad. Grade: B
In Case you Missed it
On occasion I will do a brief piece about something that you may have missed which should definitely be looked into. In most cases it will tie in with something else in the article and in this case it’s Hayden Christensen. If you have never seen “Life as a House” (2001) I definitely recommend doing so. It is an incredibly touching story about a man who finds out that he is dying and decides to take the opportunity to rebuild his broken life. The main character, George, is played by Kevin Kline in an Oscar worthy performance. George uses the time he has left to build a house, and the experience reunites him with his troubled son (played by Christensen). This movie is a gorgeous and heartfelt work, and I highly recommend it.
Troy Haines, 28, of Mapleton, graduated from the University of Maine at Presque Isle with a degree in outdoor leadership and natural resource protection. He also has a farm in Garfield Plantation where he grows “beyond organic” produce, guides mountain and rock climbing and runs a butchering business. The writer loves living and recreating in northern Maine, and is a huge fan of movies, music and books. He can reached online at gyre1976@yahoo.com.
