I made a disparaging reference to this movie in one of my posts last year, around the time it came out at the cinema.
You’ll see, if you read the post here, that I had a good old rant about American gross-out movies. I have a phobia you see. Well, not a phobia exactly, but this genre does depress me. It’s so brainless. As I said last year, I’m not totally against bawdy humour. If it’s used to highlight social taboos in a clever way, then I love it. But, being offensive and smutty to raise cheap laughs is just juvenile and, as I say, depressing.
I hadn’t seen the American movie Step Brothers at the time of that post, but its status as a gross-out movie hadn’t escaped my notice. Two blokes around the age of 40 learn they must share a room when their single parents get married… With a plot like that, how could it be anything but daft? I was quite certain that I would never ever watch it willingly.
But then a friend of mine, who appreciates the multi-layered wit and slapstick combo of Carry On films, like I do, revealed that he and his wife loved the movie. They apparently watched it roaring with laughter. I was surprised. Could it be that an American gross-out movie has stepped over into clever, witty, well-observed comedy, I pondered?
I decided to give it a try.
What a fool!
This movie is pure juvenile American gross-out and nothing more.
It seems that I got it totally wrong last year when I commented that the American gross-out genre loses its appeal after a certain age. For me that’s true, but that’s clearly not true for all.
Needless to say, I will be wary about trusting my friend’s recommendations in future.
Step Brothers is showing on Sky Moves Premiere tonight at 8pm
