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54 reviews in total

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61 out of 94 people found the following review useful:
Finally an adult film with good script, cast and direction, 9 November 2009

Author: gilko from United States

I was not looking forward to this film (another anti-military anti-war film) but this is none of that! It is a wonderful story of people and their relationships and emotions. The story is beautifully told and the cast is uniformly wonderful although it seemed at first the brothers might better have switched parts but as the plot unfolds the casting is perfect. The plot: In a family of a retired Marine Sgt (Sam Shepard) there are two sons (Toby Maguire) an active duty Captain and a Ex con wastrel (Jake Guillenhaal) who gets out of prison as his brother is about to return to the war in Afghanistan. When his brother is lost in Afghanistan the brother slowing steps up to support the wife and two girls. When Maguire Is found alive months later the dynamic of the family is greatly changed as the whole family works out the complications of their lives. This is one of the best pictures of the year, dramatic, involving, with good dialog and scene; and the actors and director play them to the hilt.

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23 out of 30 people found the following review useful:
Powerful movie, great individual performances, a few flaws, 5 December 2009

Author: ericjams from United States

The trio of Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Macguire and Natalie Portman got me very excited for this film, and from an acting standpoint, they did not disappoint. The script gives Macguire the most to work with as the family man/Marine, Sam Cahill, whose latest trip to Afghanistan sees him imprisoned by the Taliban and ultimately returned to America with some serious psychological issues. While he is MIA, his wife, Grace, (Portman) and ex-con brother, Tommy, (Gyllenhaal) are told he is dead, and the two grow closer, eventually verging on emotional and physical attachment.

Ultimately, the movie is an emotional ringer. Sam returns to a family that wants to love him, but his walls are up, he's been through a lot and its his brother the fun loving Uncle Tommy who Sam's children want to play with. A quick note, Sheridan the director makes great use of the two daughters as comic breaks in otherwise terribly tense situations. Our theater was laughing at the kids and it felt to me, as though we needed that laughter to balance out the gloom. There are a few climaxes, some extremely tense family dinners and finally a final gripping scene where Sam is pushed to the brink, he distrusts his wife, assumes his brother is sleeping with her, and no longer can see the humor in his elementary aged children, can he hold on?

Its a touching film and a sad film, but it probably could have been a bit better. The script and title of the film suggest a big tension or interplay between the brothers. I found the brother relationship lacking in substance, and I thought the ingredients for some serious tension and emotional pain were in place but were never put to use. Sam Shepard does well as the Vietnam Vet father, but all he really does is establish his love for his son, the Marine, and his disdain for his son, the ex-con. There was so much more that he could have done, his role seems intentionally diminished. Portman is great as usual, but arguably miscast, as she doesn't belong cast into a film where she is not supposed to think. She's a thinking woman's actress and here she is left observing, we know she knows, but her character must play it clueless.

I cried, and wanted the story to continue, as there seems to be a bit left to this story when the film fades away. Both signs that the movie was enjoyable and touching. The growth of Gyllenhaal as the ex-con who is on the rise, adjusting to life on the outside and acting as a surrogate father in the absence of Macguire is nicely juxtaposed with Macguire's devolution into post-traumatic stress ridden torment. Watch the Oscar nods roll in, but I think, if anything, the movie may win individual awards, as the product as a whole falls quite a bit short of award winning status.

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23 out of 32 people found the following review useful:
Did anyone know that Tobey could act?, 12 December 2009

Author: sclark-41 from United States

What drew me to this movie was the cast of Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman, two phenomenal actors in their own regards. The only expectation that I had going into see this film was that I would be unimpressed by Tobey Maguire. Having seen him in several films (including Spider-Man), I must say that I wasn't prepared for the incredible performance he provided.

This movie was very simplistic. Nothing flashy, no real special effects, small amounts of simple guitar music as a soundtrack. But it conveyed a whole roller coaster of emotions from the beginning. The growth of Jake Gyllenhaal's character, the anguish displayed by Natalie Portman, the palpable pain and suffering by Tobey Maguire, and the fear and anger displayed by the eight-year-old Bailee Madison all combine for a very gripping tale.

Many regard this movie as anti-war. I simply do not see it as such. Soldiers are praised for their heroism on the battlefield (which they completely deserve), but all too often the wounds they suffer physically and mentally are disregarded. This movie illustrates the very real problem of the mental health of our service men and women, and the problems it causes in family dynamics.

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46 out of 84 people found the following review useful:
Oscar buzz for this one coming!, 14 November 2009

Author: lumadrian from United States

Very few films that I see can affect me to tears... this one did manage to do that. I am a jaded Industry member that has studied & participated in many films over my 26-plus yr. career, therefore when I got to that point-of-no-return tissue-wise, I had plenty of adjacent sniffles around me. This film has many stellar performances to speak of and most surprising to me was Tobey Maguire's! He has finally won me over as a fan. I am certain that there are at least 5 Oscar Noms. in store for this movie: Best Pix, Best Director, Best Actor (Tobey), Best Actress (Natalie Portman), and Best Supp. Actress (8-yr-old Bailee Madison, a phenom!) Nat Port called her at the screening, "...a little genius!"

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15 out of 23 people found the following review useful:
Reality, 7 December 2009

Author: scooter_d from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

After reading several of the recent votes for this film, I've realized that most of the viewers see this more of an entertainment piece and have not absorbed the message. Having been a witness to the actions that Sam displayed on screen these are incredibly accurate, to the perfect alignment and position to the glasses and mugs in the new kitchen, the gun drawn when the dog was barking outside, the smashing of the kitchen, the anger and paranoia (of Tommy and his wife and the anger and belligerence with the police). Even the self-abuse when Sam was hitting himself out of frustration. We noticed at the dinner table when he first arrived home that he didn't have the humor he once possessed when his daughter was relating the dog and the elephant. He never wanted to hurt anyone but was still holding the fire poker because a side of him probably wanted to kill everyone who was in his way and also when he put the gun to his head. Tommy and Sam say throughout the film "you're my brother" because the writer wanted to emphasize that Sam still has the human attachment to people but is now withdrawn because of his experiences. I only hope that more people will see that this is how too many of our servicemen and woman are coming home to. This was a remarkable, emotional, and realistic to what really happens.

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12 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
A touching movie about the true meaning of brotherly love., 4 December 2009

Author: Rafacus from www.SpicyMovieDogs.com

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Brothers is the 2nd War themed movie of 2009 to emphasize the human psyche over guts and glory. Where Mel Gibson's We Were Soldiers faltered at bringing home the sense of loss and devastation that the wives and mothers endure during wartime, Jim Sheridan nails it by keeping it personal in this film. There are no glorious shootouts, or supermen taking out hundreds with a pistol through a hailstorm of shrapnel. What we get is the premise of loyalty, bravery and sacrifice through soldier and civilian alike in a powerful drama appropriately named for the love between Tommy and Sam.

It strategically starts with a contrast to play on our assumptions. The sharp, dedicated and disciplined soldier in Sam Cahill swings by the jailhouse to pick up his tattooed, wise-cracking drunk of a brother in Tommy. The two don't say much as they drive home to reunite with family but the tiny exchanges and generally awesome acting by both Jake Gyllenhaal and Toby Maguire gives you the feeling that these two are very close. Ultimately it is all that is needed for the audience, so when the hardened military father comes down on his failure of a son (Tommy) it isn't surprising that it's his "good son", the war hero (Sam) that bridges the rift between the two. The beautiful and talented Natalie Portman plays the part of Sam's wife Grace, a mother to 2 cute daughters in Isabelle (Bailie Madison) and her younger sister Maggie (Taylor Geare). The kids are smart and Isabelle especially is beyond her years, they are saddened upon hearing that their dad is to be deployed but it all dissipates when he tucks them into bed lovingly. It is the setup for the meat and potatoes of Brothers when Sam becomes a prisoner of war assumed dead and his brother Tommy is there to pick up the broken pieces at home with his family.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Toby Maguire really show their acting chops throughout this story. The awkward familiarity of the misunderstood bad-boy that is Tommy was as believable as the calm, zen-like, monk of a soldier that is Sam. The chemistry was cooking whenever they shared a scene and between the similarity of their looks and the dramatic situations that they played out I found myself fully immersed into their struggles to cope. The father played by Sam Shepard was equally impressive as the old, battered war vet, Portman as the strong wife and her children (who were given much camera time), played their respective roles convincingly.

Brothers is real drama and though there are a few supporting characters, it never veers away from the core family. With the movie taking place in 2007, and our recent push into Afghanistan, the relevance will be there for a lot of people who have loved ones in action or soon to be. I cannot use the word Oscar bait for Brothers, though the release date and heavy drama may lead one to feel this way. What I found Brothers to be was a beautiful drama with tones as heavy as any other well written movie that I can think of. Toby Maguire must have put his body through hell to look the way he does on this movie – rail thin, crazed and sickly. For me Brothers was a salute to acting, good story and the power to evoke emotion from an audience. Great dialogue, a few twists and turns along with a decent score – the things that make me love the theater. If you haven't seen this yet, I really encourage you to get out and see it, you will not be disappointed.

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19 out of 33 people found the following review useful:
Guilt and Forgiveness, 4 December 2009

Author: bobt145 from United States

Two brothers, one returning from prison, one heading as a Marine to Afghanistan.

This film is apparently a remake of a Danish film that had the same story line.

But it didn't have Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal! Maguire reaches into the darkest corners of his soul to flesh out the good brother, the Marine, who returns from Afghanistan with a staggering burden of guilt.

Gyllenhaal is amazing, transforming an angry, unsure ex-con into a believable figure of redemption, slowly growing before our eyes as the story unfolds.

Natalie Portman is excellent and look for Carey Mulligan's four minutes of screen time.

This is not an anti-war film except in the sense that any film that shows war either glorifies it unrealistically or jars us into questioning, if it is realistic. The scenes in Afghanistan seem authentic. The tortures are not so so graphic as some of the other reviews imply. They will cause you to wince, but its good film making, not microscopic detail.

I want to search out Susanne Bier's 2005 film "Broedre"--it can't lessen the impact of this one, however.

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28 out of 52 people found the following review useful:
Yet another copy of a Dnish film, 11 December 2009

Author: pt-605-198625 from Spain

Honestly, sometimes it's just better watching the original with sub-titles. The film is a US version of a Danish film called the same. While the actors and script run pretty true, the realism seems to be lost in this American version, while the original Danish version seemed to keep me grounded to the reality of it all. Sometimes larger budgets really don't produce better results. It seems to me that the Hollywood set have started running out of ideas for films, and have simply started creating US versions of successful foreign films, REC, Nattevagten, and now Brødre, all seem to be taken into the US movie grinder, and more often than not, they loose the originality of the original film. Worth see as the story itself is very good, but in all honesty, I recommend seeing the original.

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4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Hugely disappointing tear squeezer., 1 January 2010

Author: raimund-berger from Switzerland

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Again, we're getting a melange of themes well covered by so many previous films. The good and the bad son story, courtesy East of Eden. The American marine hero story, who doesn't consider himself to be one due to what he knows. And the grieving wife potentially falling in love with another man story.

The mere fact of those stories being that ubiquitous isn't so much of a problem though. Because theoretically they could still be better presented and dealt with each time around. No luck this time though, as all three of those threads ultimately fall flat all the same.

As the bad son never really gets to talk to his father, so that conflict is never resolved properly. Apart from the father kind of starting to appreciate the bad son thanks to the latter renovating the kitchen of the grieving wife. Now, how satisfying is that.

Next, the surprisingly homecoming marine suspecting his wife of unfaithfulness conflict never gets resolved. Because he never really talks to the man under suspicion, namely his own brother. So once more we're handed a loose end here.

And finally, the American military heroism hypocrisy theme, where the marine is publicly considered a hero when, due to the dirtiness of war he went through, he shouldn't really be called one as to his own standards, that third theme falls flat just the same. Because the movie ends right when, for the first time, he's just able to talk to his wife about what he went through. Where the real story would actually begin at that very point, namely his process of recovery, how that would look like and how he would finally face the family he'd have some major guilt to admit to. All that, all the really interesting bits are passed over and getting ignored.

So while story wise this film is a serious, and I mean serious, disappointment, I'd still give it points for the impressive cast. Although no film should use Maguire for a voice over, because that belongs to Spiderman. Especially a grown up Gyllenhaal seems to fulfill all the expectations he aroused as a young and aspiring actor. So much that I'd in fact love to see him entrusted with a really deep and demanding lead role of proper profile.

So while the cast really seems to do what they can, I consider this film totally forgettable otherwise. A shallow and ultimately pretentious, utterly unsatisfying tear squeezer indeed. Message du jour to the writers: we know the wounds already, see the host of Vietnam films. You want to earn some credit, show us a believable healing.

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4 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Well acted but extremely disappointing, 30 December 2009

Author: KVolchok from Portugal

Brothers tells the story of two siblings, thirty-something Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) and younger brother Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal), who are polar opposites. A Marine about to embark on his fourth tour of duty, Sam is a steadfast family man married to his high school sweetheart, Grace (Natalie Portman), with whom he has two young daughters (Bailee Madison, Taylor Grace Geare). Tommy, his younger brother, is a drifter just out of jail. He slides easily into his role as family provocateur on his first night out of prison, at Sam's farewell dinner with their parents, Elsie (Mare Winningham) and Hank Cahill (Sam Shepard), a retired Marine.Shipped out to Afghanistan, Sam is presumed dead when his Black Hawk helicopter is shot down in the mountains. At home in suburbia, the Cahill family suddenly faces a shocking void, and Tommy tries to fill in for his brother by assuming new found responsibility for himself, Grace, and the children. But Sam is not dead. And when he comes back to American soil he can't let go of the things that happened to him in Afghanistan. On top of that he has suspicions that his wife may have cheated on him with his brother... Oh boy, Brothers was a true disappointment to me. I remember seeing the trailer for the film, a couple of months ago and it seemed like an extremely intense and emotional story, plus my favorite actress, the very talented Natalie Portman? And an angry and deranged Tobey Maguire? I mean, what else can you ask for? This had the makings to be one the best films of the year and a serious Oscar contender. Unfortunately, it's none of that. The premise of the film is great and holds a lot of potential, I'm not denying that, but somehow it got lost in the way. The dialog is very simplistic and the interaction between characters feels very odd or in other words, the script is weak. Natalie Portman was not exactly bad, and at times I was able to see little glimpses of her talent in some of the more dramatic scenes but she has done much ,much better. Jake Gyllenhaal who's a very good actor as well did the best he could but his character was completely under-developed. Tobey Maguire, probably tired of doing all those crap Spiderman films, showed a lot of anger and rage but even in calm situations he looked like a psycho ready to go off at any moment, definitely a good job and probably the best acting he has done in years. And then there's Sam Shepard (Sam's father) who had a small role but made the most of it. I guess the biggest flaw of Brothers is the fact that the film takes too much time to actually get into Sam's return and him having to deal with all the things I mentioned above and that should be the main focus of the film. It's only in the third act that the film starts to get interesting and then, before you know it, it ends...

6/10

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