The Brothers Solomon (2007)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Bob Odenkirk

Writer (WGA):

Will Forte (written by)

Release Date:

7 September 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

They want to put a baby in you.

Plot:

A pair of well-meaning, but socially inept brothers try to find their perfect mates in order to provide their dying father with a grandchild.

Plot Keywords:

Fertility Clinic | Father Son Relationship | Bloopers During Credits | Nurse | Brother Brother Relationship

Cast

Will Arnett	...	John Solomon
Will Forte	...	Dean Solomon
Chi McBride	...	James
Kristen Wiig	...	Janine
Malin Akerman	...	Tara
Lee Majors	...	Ed Solomon
Michael Ormsby	...	Young John Solomon
Ryan Wynott	...	Young Dean Solomon
Bob Odenkirk	...	Jim Treacher
Sam Lloyd	...	Dr. Spencer
Charles Chun	...	Dr. Wong
Ryun Yu	...	Dr. Wang
Bill Hader	...	Recumbent Biker
Jenna Fischer	...	Michelle
Susanne Wright	...	Erica

MPAA:

Rated R for language and sexual content.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Ireland:15A | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Singapore:NC-16 | Germany:6 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-7 | South Korea:18

Company:

Carsey-Werner Company

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where John and Dean encounter Janine's boyfriend in her living room, Dean picks up a fireplace broom to defend himself. At first, he brandishes with the bristles pointing up- when the angle changes, however, he is brandishing the handle.

Quotes:

John Solomon: I literally can not wait to feel myself inside you!
Janine: Woah! The only thing you're going to feel yourself inside of is a cold Dixie cup.
Dean Solomon: Well that certainly doesn't make your vagina sound very appealing.

Movie Connections:

References Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)

Soundtrack:

St. Elmo's Fire (Acoustic)

The Brothers Solomon Movie Review

The unequivocal epitome of absurdity, The Brothers Solomon is equal parts stunning hilarity and eyebrow-raising ridiculousness. With a mind-bogglingly offbeat sense of "Dumb and Dumber" humor, this film introduces such sustained socially-inept insanity by its unpredictably bizarre lead characters that it is constantly difficult to predict where it's all going. Despite the berserk brothers' insensibilities, this madcap farce manages to be entertaining and different from the recent slew of R-rated comedies.

When their father lapses into a coma and Dean (Will Forte) and John (Will Arnett) Solomon learn that his only regret was not seeing a grandchild, the two brothers determine to acquire one no matter what the cost. After the romantically (and socially) inept twosome fail at wooing a mate to bear their child, they turn to other means of conception… Initially The Brothers Solomon appears to be an even wackier and more ludicrous version of "Dumb and Dumber", with a goofy duo of misfits who lack all cognitive thought processes. Early on, the film even steals a joke from the Farrelly Brothers' comedy, which is a huge mistake considering how widely recognized Harry and Lloyd's dialogue has become. But after the initial letdown, The Brother Solomon redeems itself with a nonstop barrage of hilariously awkward slapstick and unpredictable kookiness.

Like Steve and Doug Butabi from "A Night at the Roxbury", the Solomons never let their spirits down, as if they're completely oblivious to their unwieldy social shortcomings. Their chipper attitude remains constant, even when they disagree, and it casts a bizarre sense of satisfaction straight through to the moronic conclusion. To say that the events in the film are even remotely believable or sensible would be a gross exaggeration, yet one has to appreciate the inane degree of preposterousness the film achieves with its extremely over-the-top comedy.

From picking out a pornographic magazine at a sperm bank (they struggle over a copy of Indigenous Weekly), to a candlelit hallway dinner, to "kickass" parenting training involving hiding and mistreating baby dolls, to stalking children at a playground, the absurd gimmicks and slapstick the brothers employ is surprisingly entertaining. The entire film tests the limits to which imbecilic comedy can be pushed, and once that line is crossed, they continue forward into unknown territories of illogicality. Puppetry-based sex training and friendship-simulation aside, The Brothers Solomon is utterly pointless and largely trivial, and yet somehow the all new lows of intelligence make for an unusually high amount of laughs.

Reaching unforeseen heights in creative absurdity and comedic eccentricity, The Brothers Solomon appears uninhibited by stereotypical comedy output. The humor on display is a seldom seen blend of disturbing mockery and playful stupidity that is ultimately hit or miss. But when it succeeds, it does so with masterful relish creating simultaneous shock and laugh-out-loud silliness. Airplane banners, pedophilia, and infant abuse never looked so funny.

- Mike and Joel Massie