Rated R
(language and some disturbing violent content)
1 hour 45 minutes
Storyline:
A young man comforts his older brother's wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan.
Cast:
Tobey Maguire
Jake Gyllenhaal
Natalie Portman
Critics Grade:
C
(Consensus: It plays more like a traditional melodrama than the Susanne Bier film that inspired it, but Jim Sheridan's Brothers benefits from rock-solid performances by its three leads.)
My Grade:
B-
Oops, I saw this movie last weekend and it totally slipped my mind to write a review. Busy busy week ya'll, I apologize. Unfortunately I have to keep this review short and simple. Brothers is definitely a good movie, but it's kind of a good movie about nothing. Of course it has a plot, and a pretty dark one. What I mean though, is that this movie didn't evoke many emotions from me and I think it was supposed to. This has a pretty deep core: a soldier who was tortured in the middle east comes home to learn that his wife may or may not have slept with his brother. He's already scarred from his trauma in the middle east, now he comes back to a broken home. His daughters are afraid of him, and they love their uncle more. Pretty tragic sounding right? But for me...it wasn't really tragic. The movie in the end felt a bit empty handed. It was actually kind of lopsided. The first three fourths were pretty subdued. The last fifteen-twenty minutes were where the real explosions were, and you see most of them in the preview. It kind of falls flat in the end, I felt like not much happened or got accomplished. It's like the movie teased you all the way through, then just gave up.
At the same time though, it was a well written screenplay. It had some great dialog and definitely some tense moments. Yes it ended a bit empty handed but at the same time, that is life. Not everything is wrapped up neatly in life, and certain things are left unsolved. Families become torn, but continue to live together not knowing how life is going to turn out. In that aspect, this movie captured that beautifully. It wonderfully showcased a happy, fun family slowly deteriorate into darkness.
The movie is heightened by some solid, stand out performances. First, the two little girls were freaking adorable and also delivered some heartfelt performances and both did an outstanding job. Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain, Donnie Darko) is actually a pretty reliable actor as of late. He doesn't disappoint here. Nothing powerful comes from him, his performance is quite subtle, but that's something he does very very well. Oscar nominee Natalie Portman (Closer, Star Wars saga) displays some pretty authentic emotion as the wife who lost her husband in war (but really didn't). She doesn't just bust out in tears and scream, she reacts like nothing really happened. She doesn't process it. Then slowly spins out of control. She does so brilliantly. Tobey Maguire (Spiderman series, Cider House Rules) I think gives the performance of his career. The first half of his performance is pretty standard, good, but standard. The second half is where he really shines. You don't expect a ferocious performance out of him, but that's what you get. The scene where he completely looses it is dark, haunting, and freakishly amazing. That scene alone could garner himself a nomination at Oscar time, but I don't think it will happen. He does good enough to get award attention though, no doubt about it!
So overall...this is a solid movie that for me, just lacked some serious emotional tug. It was carried by a well written story and some great performances. It's not a dull movie really, but not all that exciting either. I could go either way when recommending this movie...so I'll leave it up to you!
At the same time though, it was a well written screenplay. It had some great dialog and definitely some tense moments. Yes it ended a bit empty handed but at the same time, that is life. Not everything is wrapped up neatly in life, and certain things are left unsolved. Families become torn, but continue to live together not knowing how life is going to turn out. In that aspect, this movie captured that beautifully. It wonderfully showcased a happy, fun family slowly deteriorate into darkness.The movie is heightened by some solid, stand out performances. First, the two little girls were freaking adorable and also delivered some heartfelt performances and both did an outstanding job. Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain, Donnie Darko) is actually a pretty reliable actor as of late. He doesn't disappoint here. Nothing powerful comes from him, his performance is quite subtle, but that's something he does very very well. Oscar nominee Natalie Portman (Closer, Star Wars saga) displays some pretty authentic emotion as the wife who lost her husband in war (but really didn't). She doesn't just bust out in tears and scream, she reacts like nothing really happened. She doesn't process it. Then slowly spins out of control. She does so brilliantly. Tobey Maguire (Spiderman series, Cider House Rules) I think gives the performance of his career. The first half of his performance is pretty standard, good, but standard. The second half is where he really shines. You don't expect a ferocious performance out of him, but that's what you get. The scene where he completely looses it is dark, haunting, and freakishly amazing. That scene alone could garner himself a nomination at Oscar time, but I don't think it will happen. He does good enough to get award attention though, no doubt about it!
So overall...this is a solid movie that for me, just lacked some serious emotional tug. It was carried by a well written story and some great performances. It's not a dull movie really, but not all that exciting either. I could go either way when recommending this movie...so I'll leave it up to you!
I was wondering if you were going to review this movie. I was curious to see if you liked it. It looked good but dark from the trailer. It is nice to see Toby stretch his acting chops and show us how good he really is.
ReplyDeleteYeah Tobey Maguire surprised me, I didn't think he was capable of delivering a powerful performance. He was nominated today for a Golden Globe for his work in this film. Good for him!!
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