Summary

• Step Brothers remains one of the funniest movies ever made with many memorable quotes still making people laugh.
• The dynamic between Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly's characters as immature middle-aged men provides much of the comedy.
• The movie's humor ranges from childishly silly moments to absurd interactions, making it a beloved comedy classic.

As one of the funniest movies ever made, there are many Step Brothers quotes that fans are still reciting and laughing at all these years later. Step Brothers was one of many collaborations between Will Ferrell and writer-director Adam McKay. Though they had already delivered with Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Step Brothers allowed the duo to enter into the realm of R-rated comedies with this hilarious story of two immature middle-aged men (Ferrell and John C. Reilly) forced to live together when their parents get married.

The simple premise allows for the two actors to embrace these two outrageous characters in such a fun way as Dale (Reilly) and Brennan (Ferrell) go from enemies to friends throughout the story. Step Brothers was a hit at the box office, and while the critical reception was not exceptional, it has earned a reputation as one of the best comedy movies of all time. Though the long-awaited sequel will likely never happen given McKay and Ferrell's falling out, the movie remains very rewatchable with many of the most memorable Step Brothers quotes still making people laugh.

20 "You Should Have Never Let Us Make Bunk Beds."

Dale (John C. Reilly)

So much of the funniest aspects of the movie come from how effectively Will Ferrell and Jon C. Reilly become adult children in these roles. Dale and Brennan are stuck in some arrested development, causing them to act like rambunctious young kids stuck in the bodies of men in their 40s. This includes when they excitedly ask their parents if they can turn their beds into bunk beds only for Robert (Richard Jenkins) to remind them that they are grown men who don't need permission.

This idea goes predictably and hilariously wrong as their poorly constructed bunk beds quickly collapse on top of Brennan. Adding to the persona of these men not understanding that they are meant to be responsible adults themselves, Dale rushes into their parents' room and immediately puts the blame on them for allowing them to do this.

19 "What Kind Of Dreams Are You Guys Having?"

Nancy (Mary Steenburgen)

Though Dale and Brennan don't get along initially, they have more in common than they are willing to admit. Not only are they middle-aged men still living with their parents, but they also both experience sleepwalking. In both cases, these forms of sleepwalking take the form of elaborate and destructive behavior. Along with destroying the kitchen and putting the couch cushions in the oven, Dale and Brennan have some very strange conversations in their sleep.

During one of their frenzied sleepwalking incidents, the brothers begin shouting things like "I’ll kill you, Leonard Nimoy" and "The clown has no penis." Nancy's confused questioning of what these dreams could actually be about is a question likely in the minds of the audience as well. The fact that there are never any explanations given about the dreams makes it even funnier.

18 "I Wrestled A Giraffe To The Ground."

Dale (John C. Reilly)

Throughout the movie, some of the best Step Brothers quotes have a lot to do Brennan and Dale with one-upping each other. At dinner, Nancy was trying to find common ground for the stepbrothers and said she heard that both were really into kung-fu. This eventually escalated to Dale arrogantly making this claim about battling a giraffe.

It is one of the many moments of absurd humor in the movie with John C. Reilly's performance and delivery of the line adding to the ridiculousness of the moment. However, it is capped off with the great moment when Dale's dad immediately calls out his son and says it isn't true, causing Dale to hang his head in shame. It is as if Dale forgot that his father was there and felt that had he not been called out on it, everyone would have believed his obvious lie.

17 "My Mom Is Being Eaten By A Dog!"

Brennan (Will Ferrell)

While there is a lot of fun that comes from Dale and Brennan eventually becoming friends, the early scenes of them hating each other are also hilarious. The hatred b between them comes to a head after Brennan plays with Dale's drumset which leads to them fighting on the front lawn as Nancy tries in vain to break it up.

However, as Dale and Brennan battled, they watched in horror as a Doberman dog attacked Nancy in all the excitement. This led Brennan to comically exclaim this Step Brothers quote that a dog was eating his mother and he couldn't do anything to help her. The entire scene unfolds in a madcap way with things escalating and getting stranger and more chaotic. This line stands out as a random moment that makes it even funnier.

16 "Your Voice Is Like A Combination Of Fergie And Jesus."

Dale (John C. Reilly)

Will Ferrell's singing in Step Brothers is a running joke throughout the movie with it always being described in an over-the-top way made funnier by the fact that it is a pretty average singing voice. Once Dale and Brennan stopped fighting and started working together, they decided to start their own multinational corporation, and they wanted to do it with their music. After some reluctance, Brennan relented and sang his version of the Bonnie Raitt song "Something to Talk About."

It was ridiculous and a funny rendition, but Dale was awestruck. Like their earlier insults, Dale and Brennan's compliments to each other are outrageous. While Brennan insulted his performance, Dale said it was a mix of "Fergie and Jesus." He even added to his over-the-top praise by saying that Brennan turned into a "unicorn" for a moment.

15 "God, You’re Gonna Make Me Cry. What Poem Is That From? Is That James Joyce?"

Brennan (Will Ferrell)

As a sign of Brennan's immaturity, when he starts going to a therapist, Denise, he immediately falls in love with her and takes her professional treatment of him as a sign that she feels the same way. When Brennan takes action in the climax of the movie, Denise praises him but cautions that she says all this in a professional way "with no emotional, intimate, sexual, or any other undertones that you could possibly infer."

Brennan basically ignores her words but decides to spin his own meaning out of them, prompting him to ask her if what she said came from a poem. It speaks to Brennan's self-centeredness that Will Ferrell hilariously portrays throughout the movie. Rather than take her assertions at face value, Brennan is wholeheartedly convinced that Denise is in love with him and nothing will convince him otherwise.

14 "That’s So Funny, The Last Time I Heard That I Laughed So Hard I Fell Off My Dinosaur."

Dale (John C. Reilly)

The battle between Dale and Brennan goes from hilarious extremes of dangerous and serious to childish. While they get into brutal fistfights and even try burying each other alive at one point, they also exchange insults that are hilariously lame yet cut each other to the core. During that terrific first dinner scene with the new family, tensions quickly rise between the two men, leading to a childish exchange.

After Dale sings a vulgar song to mock Brennan's supposed singing talents, Brennan quips "I remember when I had my first beer." Dale retorts with this insult about how old that joke was. The line is funny for how infantile it is, but it is made funnier by the fact that it causes Brennan to cry. With the terrible things these two say to each other throughout the movie, it is hilarious that this is the thing that hurts the most.

13 "I Was Watching Cops."

Brennan (Will Ferrell)

One of the best-known Step Brothers quotes has to do with Dale's precious drum set. Right before Dale finds a chip in one of his drumsticks and launches into a tirade against Brennan, he finds him lying on the couch, drenched in sweat, watching TV. He’s sweaty from playing Dale’s drums, but he’s forbidden from touching them, so he has to make up a lie.

When Dale asks Brennan why he’s sweating so much, he tells him he’s been watching the reality series Cops, which is supposedly so intense that it made him break into a sweat. Even funnier is that Dale’s only onto the lie because he knows that Cops doesn’t start until later. Not only did Brennan think that was a good lie, but Dale didn't seem to question why the show would make him sweat like that.

12 "Flat. It’s So Flat, I Can’t Even...I Don’t Even Know."

Derek (Adam Scott)

The introduction of Adam Scott's Derek in Step Brothers is one of the funniest and most random scenes in the movie. With no context to who these people are, the movie shows Derek and his annoying family driving in their car as Derek forces his wife and kids to sing Guns ‘n’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine.” While his kids are into it, giving heartfelt performances that make Derek proud, his wife looks like she’d rather be anywhere else. It doesn’t help that when she’s singing, Derek is constantly criticizing her pitch.

Derek's true character as an absolute jerk is revealed in his introduction. It's made even more apparent when he bores into his wife for her off-key singing in the car, saying, "This is $1200 a week for voice lessons, and this is what I get?" He attempts to "save" the song by performing his own solo without ever questioning why this would be important to him.

11 "Listen, Gang, Don’t Be Mad At Dale For Ruining The Story...And Possibly The Evening."

Derek (Adam Scott)

Brennan doesn’t even stay in the house when Derek comes over for dinner, showing just what he thinks of his brother and further hinting at him being a terrible person. Dale does, but he learns soon enough what a jerk Brennan’s biological brother is. While Derek is recounting the story of why he had to miss Robert and Nancy's wedding — because he was bonito fishing with Mark Cuban and other famous people — Dale interrupts and asks if bonito are big fish.

Despite it being a harmless and good question, Derek takes strange offense to it and sarcastically calls out Dale for running things. It is even funnier that the usually very grounded Robert sides with Derek, chastizing Dale for such an interjection. It is a moment that shows, as strange as Dale and Brennan are, the movie is filled with bizarre characters.

10 "I’m Dale, But You Have To Call Me Dragon."

Dale (John C. Reilly)

From the first moment Dale and Brennan meet, it is filled with tension. The title sequence of the movie comes as the two grown men stand on the lawn of the house they will share together, staring at each other as if they are gunslingers who are having a standoff. However, they quickly remind the audience how immature they are as they demand to be called these nicknames — Dragon and Nighthawk.

It is an important moment in the movie with this being their first meeting while also being a moment that foreshadows their friendship to come. While they come off as two children trying to appear cool to each other, it shows their shared immaturity, inflated opinions of themselves, and sense of childlike fun. The fact that these nicknames are barely ever used in the movie makes it even funnier.

9 “I Would Follow You Into The Mists Of Avalon, If That’s What You Mean."

Dale (John C. Reilly)

The moment that helps to solidify their friendship between Dale and Brennan is when they find a common enemy in Derek, Brennan’s brother, who wants to sell their parents’ house and kick them out. As soon as Dale punches Derek in the face, they’re the best of friends, which brings about one of the most hilarious Step Brothers quotes.

When declaring their friendship for one another, Brennan goes into a long-winded speech about how at first he hated Dale, but after the "courageous act that you showed me against the one they call Derek," Brennan hopes that he and Dale can be the kind of friends who "ride majestic, translucent steeds." Further cementing this new bond, Dale falls right in line with the ridiculous declarations of friendship and loyalty as if they are two brave nights in some medieval fantasy movie.

8 "Robert Better Not Get In My Face...‘Cause I’ll Drop That Motherf**ker!"

Brennan (Will Ferrell)

It’s not easy to get to know a new stepparent and Step Brothers has a lot of fun exploring the awkwardness and uncomfortable aspects of these arrangements. Dale or Brennan (poorly) coping with the new additions to the family makes for some of the funniest moments. It would be great if everyone could get along, and it could be a seamless transition from the old situation into the new situation, but it’s tough.

When it comes to Brennan, Will Ferrell hilariously plays two sides of this situation; the timid child who is too shy to even call his new stepfather by his first name and the grown man who is ready to fight Robert to establish which of them is the alpha male of the house. Brennan's threats of "dropping" Robert when talking to his mother disappear when he is actually confronted by the man.

7 "Boats ‘N’ Hoes, Boats ‘N’ Hoes."

Dale And Brennan (John C. Reilly And Will Ferrell)

When Brennan and Dale fail to get hired at any of their joint job interviews, they decide to give up on their pursuit of employment and go out on their own to start a multinational entertainment company called Prestige Worldwide. They decide to kick off this venture with a rap video filmed on Robert's boat for their debut track, “Boats ‘n’ Hoes.”

The video itself is another hilarious display of how little self-awareness the two men have, feeling that this low-budget and vulgar rap song will be enough to launch a global business on its own. However, it also becomes a hilariously catchy song that is easy to get stuck in the head of the audience. The simplistic lyrics even make a perfect reappearance during Brennan's angelic musical performance at the end of the movie.

6 "Stop Being A F**king Dinosaur And Get A Job."

Robert (Richard Jenkins)

Actor Richard Jenkins doesn’t get many funny Step Brothers quotes. Rather, the humor of Robert’s character comes from his reactions to Dale and Brennan’s antics. But he does get one monologue at the Catalina Wine Mixer in which he's trying to identify with his two sons, while at the same time imploring them to finally grow up, but never forget what keeps one young.

Robert goes into a tale about how when he was a kid, all he wanted was to be a Tyrannosaurus Rex, so much so that he would make his arms short, roar, and chase neighborhood cats. He explains that when he was 17, his father told him it was time to "throw childish things aside." It is a heartfelt moment from Robert that is wrapped up in this ridiculous story which is capped off by Dale and Brennan's confused reaction.

5 "This House Is A F**king Prison!"

Brennan (Will Ferrell)

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play Brennan and Dale as the most ungrateful pair of children who ever lived. They’re 40 years old and still get handed everything by their parents, and yet they’re still not happy. Following their savage fight that destroyed the house, got Nancy mauled by a dog, and disrupted the entire neighborhood, Robert cracks down on the men by grounding them with no television privileges.

The fact that these middle-aged men could even get grounded in the first place should be enough to make them take a long and hard look at their lives. Instead, Dale and Brennan complain about how unfair this treatment is, with Brennan saying the house is a prison, and Dale interjects "on Planet bullsh*t." It is impressive how likable these characters can be despite being so pathetic.

4 "I’ve Been Called The Songbird Of My Generation."

Brennan (Will Ferrell)

Brennan's singing skills come up the first time during the dinner scene between the new family. Nancy proudly talks about how Brennan is very talented. Though he has been relatively shy for most of the dinner, Brennan suddenly perks up when speaking about his talents and confirms that he is really good. When Dale questions how good he is, Brennan makes this bold statement about how people view his music.

There are a lot of different layers to what makes this joke so funny. Clearly, it is another over-the-top assertion on Brennan's part, suggesting that this middle-aged amateur singer has been seen as a defining talent of his time. It is also a funny claim to make considering that he never lets anyone actually let him sing. However, given how effective his singing is at the end of the movie, it also suggests he might be as good as he claims.

3 "You’re Embarrassing Yourself, You Geriatric F**k!"

Brennan (Will Ferrell)

Adding to the hilarity of the "Boats and Hoes" music video is how confident Dale and Brennan were that it would inspire people to immediately begin investing thousands of dollars into their new company. This includes Robert, who, despite having had his beloved sailboat destroyed in the making of the video, is targeted by Dale and Brennan as a potential investor. They ask him for $10,000 and accuse him of acting like a baby when he refuses.

This is a breaking point for Robert in the movie, which hilariously also causes Brennan to snap and go after his stepfather as well. When Robert declares that Dale and Brennan are failures, Brennan begins viciously attacking his age, then tops it off by demanding he never touch his mother again and threatens him with physical violence if he doesn't give them the money. Will Ferrell's unhinged performance in the scene is one of the funniest moments in the movie.

2 "Dad, What Are You Doing? It’s Shark Week!"

Dale (John C. Reilly)

One of the funniest aspects of the movie is how Dale and Brennan seem to jump around from one age to another when it comes to their behavior. While there is a brief segment in the movie where they embrace responsibility and start acting like adults, most of the most, they are at various stages of immaturity. They can act like excitable toddlers at one moment and then become vulgar frat boys the next moment.

In one particularly memorable moment, following their brutal fight on the front lawn, the two men fit nicely into the role of spoiled and entitled young teenagers. They are recovering and watching television when their parents confront them. Seemingly forgetting about the violent mayhem they just caused, Dale and Brennan become livid when Robert has the audacity to turn off the television as if it were the most unreasonable thing he could do.

1 "You And Your Mom Are Hillbillies. This Is A House Of Learned Doctors."

Dale (John C. Reilly)

The whole bedroom scene in the Adam McKay movie on Brennan’s first night in the new house is full of the best Step Brothers quotes. As it devolves, they start talking about what they’re going to do when the other one falls asleep (“I’m gonna fill a pillowcase full of bars of soap and beat the s**t out of you!”). However, the funniest moment comes when Dale insists Brennan and his mother are not good enough to live with them.

It is another hilarious moment of delusion from Dale. Referring to Brennan's mother, who has a very respectable career, as a hillbilly is a hilariously elitist point of view. To add to that, he lumps himself into a house of "learned doctors" even though he has no job and his whole resume consists of managing a fantasy baseball league.