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Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that teens may well be interested in this lowbrow comedy -- despite (or, more likely, because of) its frequent jokes about bodily functions and sex, crude innuendo, and strong language (particularly variations on "f--k"). There's some mild slapstick violence (falls, wrestling, minor car collisions), as well as some awkward sight gags (a bloodless dart in the nose), and brief references to drugs (morphine) and drinking. Two dating jokes might be considered mean: Dean calls a girl "fat," and a sight-gag flashback shows the brothers with their prom dates, two older Eskimo women. An African-American character verbally challenges stereotypes but ends up physically fulfilling them, in language and menacing demeanor (he's a walking stereotype).
Families can talk about the appeal of R-rated comedies. Do the raunchy bits make movies like this funnier, or do they go overboard? Do you think anyone in real life is quite as socially clueless as the Solomon brothers? Does exaggerating people's quirks make them funnier? Why or why not? How does the brothers' view of women affect their attempts to start relationships? Parents and teens can also discuss how the movie defines "family." How does the Solomon family change by the end of the movie?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Cynthia Fuchs
Always a beat behind its own jokes, Bob Odenkirk's THE BROTHERS SOLOMON is a poorly paced comedy that unintentionally accomplishes something worth noting: It makes Knocked Up look like high-brow comedy.
Brothers begins with the titular pair -- John (Will Arnett) and Dean (Saturday Night Live's Will Forte) -- deciding how to identify themselves on dating Web site. They'll be "two male brothers," they conclude, because they want to be "extra clear," and they're seeking women who are "female." Laughing yet?
The jokes get only get more idiotic as the brothers try to sort out the "dating thing." Then, when their father (Lee Majors) falls into a coma and his doctor says it might help if the guys fulfill his one wish (uttered just before he went under), the movie's focus switches to "the grandchild thing." And so John and Dean seek a baby mama, first through bad dates, then through Craigslist.
In need of money, Janine (Kristen Wiig, also of SNL) signs on for the job, as long as they do it through a sperm bank (which leads to the inevitable masturbation and porno magazine jokes). Though her boyfriend, James (Chi McBride, reduced to wide-eyed, menacing-demeanor sight gags), initially objects, soon all four adults are planning for the baby's arrival. (You might wonder why on earth she throws in with these dorks at all, since they're so plainly selfish and childish, but the movie appears to take this point on faith so the brothers can worry and exploit her in order to eventually become "better" people.)
Even as John and Dean set to practicing with dolls, talking to a little girl at the park (an uncomfortable pedophilia joke), and baby-proofing their apartment, the brothers are really on a buddy-film track, and eventually they work up to the requisite break-up-and-make-up sequence. An irrelevant side plot has John lusting after pretty blond neighbor, Tara (Malin Akerman), making him look smug and foolish and leaving Dean feeling left out.
Even when the brothers do learn some kind of lesson, it hardly matters. They're obviously not supposed to fit in with the rest of us, considering how often the film asks viewers to laugh at their stupidity. When, at long last, Janine tries to convince Tara that, beneath their bumbling self-centeredness and despite all evidence to the contrary, John and Dean are nice, Tara doesn't believe it. And, despite Arnett and Forte's strangely goofy brand of charm, neither will you.
Better comedies in the same vein include The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Dumb and Dumber, and The Jerk.
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Sexual ContentIn a dream, John licks (with visible tongue) water left when a bikini-clad Tara leaves a hot tub. An extended joke about pedophilia has the brothers sitting in a car near a park, trying to solicit a little girl to get ice cream (their intentions are harmless). Phrases include references to "anal," "nuts," "vagina," "baby hole," "put a baby inside you," "hard-on," "tits," "dick," "multi-orgasmic." But for all of their talk, the guys don't really get any action. A visit to a sperm bank includes talk of semen and discussion and brief views of porn magazines (with titles that include words like "jugs" and "jizz"). Some homoerotic/homophobic humor (Dean kisses a date's father on the lips; when the brothers make up after a fight, John is naked -- though only his chest is seen -- during their hug, causing Dean to ask him to put on a towel). |
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ViolenceCars screech and collide (mildly). Woman is hit abruptly by bus (nothing graphic shown). John hits Dean's nose with a dart (no blood, but wincing). James repeatedly threatens the brothers with violence, but he doesn't take action. The brothers design a crib that can withstand rocks, glass, and other objects being hurled at it (which they demonstrate with loud glee); they also experiment with tossing and catching a doll meant to represent a real infant. |
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LanguageFrequent profanity, including lots of uses of "f--k" and "motherf--ker," plus "s--t," "ass," "a--hole," "hell," "damn," "bitch," "crap," "sucks," and "c--ksucker." |
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Social BehaviorThe majority of the movie's jokes are premised on the brothers' social incompetence, which involves farting, misspeaking (particularly blithe, unintentional insults -- like calling a woman fat without any malice), misunderstanding (an African-American character thinks they're racist; cops think they're soliciting children), fighting, and crying. Ignorance (manifested as mean jokes and snide remarks) and the plot about a surrogate mother lead to arguments, threats, and general discomfort (it's framed as comedy, but the results are often strained). The brothers' surrogate makes some good points about the responsibilities of parenthood. |
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CommercialismVisual and verbal mentions of many products and companies, including Meetspot, Craigslist, Little Debbie, Barnes & Noble, Laverne & Shirley, Energizer Bunny, North Face, and Snickers. Also specific references to other movies (Ulee's Gold, Stuart Little). |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoJohn invites Tara out for drinks, then sets up a dinner with champagne in the hallway outside her apartment (when she rejects him, he drinks ostentatiously); Dean drinks liquor in despair. Brief cigarette smoking. |
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