Arka Mukhopadhyay
2008 family comedy movie ‘Step Brothers’ is one of the finest from the house of director Adam McKay, and for good reasons. Apart from being rib-tickling hilarious — and at times sentimental — the movie lends a compelling look at two grown-ups who are immature in the eyes of society.
Dale and Brennan, living with their parents at the ripe age of 40, come at a precarious impasse as they are forced to live in the same house when their respective parents marry each other. Well, society may think what it will, but Dale and Brennan keep the eccentricity alive, and the movie sails with comic legends Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly clocking at their best in the central roles. Let us now revisit the final moments in greater detail. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Step Brothers Plot Synopsis
Dale Doback and Brennan Huff are in their early forties living in their respective parents’ homes. It would not be a problem, but Dale’s widowed father Robert meets Brennan’s single mother Nancy at a conference, and they hit it off, to the point of marriage. The marriage brings the two grown-ups under the same roof, and Dale and Brennan are readily given to rivalry.
Dale has one rule — no one should touch his drum kit — but Brennan is too eager to break this rule after hearing insults from Dale. Dale comes back to find his toms scratched, but Brennan maintains that he has not touched the kit. However, upon insistence, Brennan goes back to the beat laboratory to rub his testicles on the drum, and Dale is outraged! They make a scene in the front yard, the parents are called back from their offices, and the brothers are grounded. The brothers are also sleepwalkers, and they ransack the kitchen at night.
Robert has had enough, and the boys must get a job and look for ways to get out of the house. Robert sets up interviews for the brothers. However, Nancy’s other son Derek, who could not attend the wedding, visits the Doback residence with his wife, Alice. Robert is impressed by Derek’s mature demeanor since he acts his age. Derek invades the treehouse, ridicules the brothers for their lack of ambition, and insists they punch him in the face.
Dale happily obliges, and Alice is happier. They embark upon a steamy liaison while Brennan develops unrequited feelings for his therapist. After messing up some interviews, Dale gets the brilliant idea to start the world’s best entertainment company. The pitch, which was filmed at Robert’s precious boat, ends with the brothers crashing the boat, and with it, Robert’s retirement plan. On Christmas, Robert and Nancy divulge that they are getting divorced. The parents sell the house and part ways, while the brothers must take the situation in their stride and become functioning adults.
Step Brothers Ending: Do the Brothers Make Chris Gardocki Lick Dog Shit?
In the end-credit sequence, the brothers go for a confrontation with Chris Gardocki and his menacing motley gang, presumably borrowing a chopper from Derek’s company. In a previous scene, Dale and Brennan are walking down the streets after a stinking interview streak, complete with a cameo from Seth Rogen as the sporting goods store manager. They would almost get the last job if it were not for Dale’s prolonged fart. However, Dale is not a spirit who can be easily discouraged, and as they are walking down the street, Dale gets his brilliant idea of forming the entertainment company Prestige Worldwide.
However, he is afraid to move ahead, as he is terrorized by someone named Chris Gardocki. This Chris is no gangster, but he is still a pretty menacing kid with a massive gang. Brennan does not know what he is dealing with until the kids play see-saw on Dale and Brennan. It could have ended there, but Chris is not satisfied until he makes Brennan lick dog poop. The sight is disgusting, and we can only imagine Brennan’s woes after going through the ordeal. So, do they come back to take revenge and make Chris do the same?
They surely come back to teach the kids a lesson and unleash karate kicks on the horde, and while the others flee the scene following the ambush, the brothers get hold of Chris. They take Chris’ face near the poop (which is surprisingly still there), and Dale advises Chris never to oppress people. However, the movie is not as much about revenge as about adulting, and the brothers do not do the same as Chris, which finally proves that they have become adults after all.
Does Prestige Worldwide Take Off? Do Robert And Nancy Reunite?
Dale presents the idea of Prestige Worldwide to Brennan when all the interviews end in disaster. At Derek’s birthday party, Dale and Brennan give a hilarious presentation of their proposed company, with an exclusive look at its first music video, “Boats ‘N Hoes,” sung by the duo and filmed on Robert’s raft. The pair pretty much nail the song, but the video ends with the boat crashing on the cliff, and Robert cannot even articulate his anger at the sight of his beloved boat going down. It turns out that Robert is as much a child as Dale and Brennan, and the boat incident causes a rift between Nancy and Robert, which only widens.
They get separated, the brothers get decent jobs, and everyone is living their own lives. Brennan goes to his douchebag brother for a job, while Dale gets a stable gig at a catering company after 22 years of unemployment. It seems that the dream of Prestige Worldwide is crushed with the boat, but Brennan getting the duty of organizing the Catalina Wine Mixer brings back the family for a reunion. The Billy Joel cover band does not even know “Piano Man.” After insulting a woman in the audience, the band is dismissed from the stage. Brennan’s event is going well so far, but his brother fires him after the incident. At this juncture, Robert encourages Dale and Brennan to embrace their childish selves and go up on the stage.
Dale is the first to take the leap, and seeing him in danger, Brennan follows. They nail the impromptu performance of “Por Ti Volaré” down to near-perfection, and the audiences are overwhelmed. The arrangement makes Nancy and Robert reunite and even earns Brennan an awkward hug from Derek. In the end, as we meet Dale and Brennan back in their home, they divulge to Robert that they have started a company called Karaoke n’ Roll, which is booming. It seems that the idea of Prestige Worldwide leads to something more concrete and streamlined, but Prestige Worldwide seemingly comes into being in the moment of crisis at the Catalina Wine Mixer.
Is Brennan Dating The Therapist?
Robert and Nancy reunite at the end, while Dale breaks up with Alice since she has a family. But what happens to Brennan and Denise, the therapist, one may ask? Brennan has been making passes at her since he signed up for therapy, while Denise maintains that the relationship is strictly formal. She comes to the Catalina Wine Mixer, and as she looks at Brennan, a fantasy sequence makes her desires for him clear. But she still maintains that she does not feel any intimacy towards Brennan, and we do not know for sure whether they end up together.
However, in the final sequence, Robert gives the brothers a lovely present – his old boat, transformed into a treehouse. The boat has some other goodies, too, including pirate hats, porno magazines, and Chewbacca masks. Denise and Brennan seem to be together – at least, Denise’s presence at the family dinner suggests so. Moreover, when Denise gushes over Brennan in his pirate hat, we sense that they have hit it off pretty well.
Read More: Where Was Step Brothers Filmed?
