It turns out that Ryan Gosling has some surprisingly unique tastes in film. On Still Watching Netflix’s YouTube channel, Gosling talked about his favorite films while promoting The Gray Man, and some of his picks will surprise film fans. Gosling listed Jean-Claude Van Damme‘s martial arts epic Bloodsport, Ghost Rider (which features his partner Eva Mendes in a prominent role), and Step Brothers — which Gosling refers to as his “secret” favorite movie. “I feel like you tell people your favorite movie is On the Waterfront when it’s really Step Brothers. I could always watch Will Ferrell. And John C.,” Gosling said. “You could be in a bad place in your life, you could be in a great place in your life, it’s always the right time.” Gosling has a point, as Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly deliver one of the funniest movies of all time. A large part of that is due to the dynamic between Ferrell, Reilly, and director Adam McKay, who shaped Step Brothers into a bona fide comedy masterpiece.
‘Step Brothers’ Is The Height of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly’s Comedic Chemistry
Step Brothers lives up to its title, as Dale Doback (Reilly) and Brennan Huff (Ferrell) become step-siblings when Dale’s father, Robert (Richard Jenkins), marries Brennan’s mother, Nancy (Mary Steenburgen). Dale and Brennan grow to hate each other at first…then they end up bonding over the most unexpected things. Ferrell and Reilly previously worked together on Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, but Step Brothers has them working on a whole other level. Take the scene where Dale tells Brennan not to touch his drum set, but Brennan ends up doing something unspeakable to it. The energy that Ferrell and Reilly bring to their scenes is infectious, not to mention peppered with creative uses of profanity. The rest of the movie works on a similar wavelength, from the scene where Dale and Brennan connect over their hatred of Brennan’s brother Derek (Adam Scott) to the various pranks they play on each other. The rest of the cast is also game for anything — Jenkins’ building exasperation finally boils over in a pivotal scene, while Kathryn Hahn shows off her comedic chops as Derek’s wife Alice, especially when she starts an affair with Dale.
Though Step Brothers was hit or miss when it came to critical reception — Roger Ebert infamously said it made him feel unclean — it was a solid hit at the box office. As a result, Reilly, Ferrell, and McKay kicked around the idea of starting a Step Brothers sequel. Ferrell came up with what might be the best idea for a potential sequel, where Dale and Brennan’s parents went to a retirement community…and Dale and Brennan followed them! “We talked about (a sequel to) Step Brothers, and then Adam and I got sidetracked with other things,” Ferrell told the Daily News in 2018. “We had a whole story where John (C. Reilly) and I follow our parents to live in a retirement community and try to convince them that we earned the right to retire as well.” The sequel never came to fruition due to McKay taking a different path with his filmmaking, but the idea that Ferrell came up with sounds more than perfect for a Step Brothers sequel.
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The movie also stars Dan Stevens, Rachel McAdams, and Pierce Brosnan.
‘Step Brothers’ Not Only Gained a Cult Following, but It Inspired a Few Real-Life Events
Step Brothers would turn out to be a cult classic, and two scenes influenced real-life events. When Dale and Brennan are forced by Robert and Nancy to find jobs, they decide to form their own business venture with the immensely catchy music video “Boats N’ Hoes”. In 2014, a political committee would be formed in Texas…named the “Boats’n’Hoes PAC”. The Step Brothers finale, which takes place at the fictional Catalina Wine Mixer, would inspire a real-life Catalina Wine Mixer, which takes place on the actual Catalina Island! Step Brothers also has its fair share of unexpected fans, with Justin Kurzel (Macbeth, Assassin’s Creed) naming it as one of his favorite films of all time. Marion Cotillard also admitted in a GQ interview that the ending to Step Brothers brings her to tears every time she watches it. Ryan Gosling was onto something when he said that Step Brothers is a film that works in any situation, as it’s gathered more than a few fans over the years.
Step Brothers is available to rent from Prime Video.
