Why We Rated This Appropriate for Ages 16 and UP

What to watch out for

• Consumerism:

  Extensive mention and onscreen presence of lots of brands and TV shows and movies, including Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Heinz ketchup, Converse sneakers, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Belkin movers, Pet Smart, Outback Steak House, Hustler Magazine,... More

  Extensive mention and onscreen presence of lots of brands and TV shows and movies, including Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Heinz ketchup, Converse sneakers, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Belkin movers, Pet Smart, Outback Steak House, Hustler Magazine, The Cheesecake Factory, Hulk Hands toys, Sony Vaio, Doritos, Good Housekeeping, The Outsiders, Scarface, Good Will Hunting, Rock of Love, The Apprentice, Star Wars, Guitar Hero, "Shark Week," American Idol, and more. Close

• Language:

  Constant, crude, and rude language including (but not limited to) "f--k," "s--t," "balls," "nutsack," "horses--t," "motherf---er," "p---y," "wiener," "chest pubes," "ball 'fro," "big joint," "man-gina," "sucks ass," "bang," "retard," "whor... More

  Constant, crude, and rude language including (but not limited to) "f--k," "s--t," "balls," "nutsack," "horses--t," "motherf---er," "p---y," "wiener," "chest pubes," "ball 'fro," "big joint," "man-gina," "sucks ass," "bang," "retard," "whore," "gay," "butthole," "dogs--t," "vagina," "douche," "penis," "butt buddy," "fart," "hos," and "faggot." Close

• Sex:

  Underwear-clad making out; kissing; upright, clothed comedic sex in a bathroom; implied masturbation; pornography is glimpsed and referenced; a character drapes his testicles (visible on-screen) on another character's property; constant sex... More

  Underwear-clad making out; kissing; upright, clothed comedic sex in a bathroom; implied masturbation; pornography is glimpsed and referenced; a character drapes his testicles (visible on-screen) on another character's property; constant sexual references. Close

• Violence:

  Wrestling, scuffling, and tussling; a character knocks another character out; characters are hurled down stairs; a character strikes another in the head with a shovel; two adults fight a playground full of younger children. Children bully g... More

  Wrestling, scuffling, and tussling; a character knocks another character out; characters are hurled down stairs; a character strikes another in the head with a shovel; two adults fight a playground full of younger children. Children bully grown-up characters into licking dog droppings. Characters watch an action-packed movie. Close

• Messages

• Drugs:

  Characters refer to "smoking pot" and "smoking a jay" characters drink hard alcohol to excess; characters drink wine.

What Parents Need to Know

About Step Brothers

Parents need to know that this is a far raunchier comedy than the last collaboration between stars Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and director Adam McKay, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and much more explicit in how it stoops for laughs. It's loaded with crude, rude, sexual, and obscene language and situations, including visible male genitalia and glimpses of porn and a vocabulary that ranges from "p---y" to "f--k" and everywhere in between. There's also lots of product placement, and the film's half-hearted messages and morals -- about family, being who you are, and accepting people -- are drowned out by its loud, boisterous vulgarity.

Families Can Talk About

Families can talk about Will Ferrell's appeal. What makes something a "Will Ferrell comedy"? What age group do you think movies like this one are aimed at?Families can also discuss the movie's essential question: When should children leave home? When does parental protection become more a burden than a shield? What challenges do real blended families face? What fuels sibling rivalry in real life? Also, is it ever worth sacrificing your individuality and passion in order to get ahead?