Nothing like watching two 13-year old boys in the bodies of men, 39 and 40, still living with their respective parents, doing nothing but watching TV and masturbating - sort of a Bevis and Butthead all over again.
The accompanying picture says it all: Mom and Dad wonderfully happy; the boys, bewildered, suspicious, and angry.
Raunchy for sure ... as 13-year old boys are, but it's not about raunch, but growing up, and how hard it can be these days. Sociologically, the film represents a developmental phenomenon: prolonged adolescence. Single adults well into their 30s behaving adolescently.
Both "boys" live with their respective parents - decent, hard-working folks, amazed at their immature sons, frustrated but loving. I think it's the love of these parents that stands at the emotional center of the story. How does a parent love? And how to motivate and guide a child?
It's also about blended families - the stresses and strains of getting a new household up and running - the absolute power of blood, and the hard decisions parents have to sometimes make.
After falling in love (yes, boys and girls, your parents can still fall in love again), the task of building a new household begins. The boys are resentful and competitive - hating each other, setting limits ("you touch my drums, you die"), yet in time, they bond together by their mutual dislike of the situation, discovering a great deal in common.
Ultimately, the boys sabotage the marriage. It happens - though Mom and Dad love one another, the bond of blood prevails.
Will Ferrell and John C. Riley (with that incredible nose-bridge crease) are a great team, playing off one another's energy. Their respective parents, Richard Jenkins (most recently seen in the brilliant The Visitor) and Mary Steenburgen, bring a terrific sense of real parenting to the story. Jenkins is "every man" in his acting. Certainly no "leading man," his character is a common story - working hard every day to make sense of life, to provide for those he loves, trying to add some flair to an otherwise common life. Steenburgen, wonderfully hot, is remarkable - she loves her son, wants a home, and makes hard decisions with tearful grace.
Both Ferrell and Riley offer up two personae - that of the immature adult and then an adult with promise - the transformation of voicing and physical movement is great to see. I wonder if we'll see either of them in a dramatic role any time soon - both are capable of such, I'm convinced.
The end is oddly funny - not sure it's the best ending, but it gets the point across. Even as adults, we remember the schmucks who beat us up, and who wouldn't want to land on the play ground in a powerful corporate helicopter and beat 'em all up.
Entertaining for sure - I'd say this is a movie (the word "film" seems a bit out of place on this one) worth seeing. So buy a popcorn and get a Coke, and be prepared to laugh.
