Review: "Brothers"
Franck Tabouring
Seen on: December 1, 2009
The players: Director: Jim Sheridan, Writer: David Benioff, Cast: Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Sam Shepard
Facts of interest: Remake of Susanne Bier's "Brodre."
The plot: Brothers Sam and Tommy have a decent relationship until Tommy comforts Sam's wife after he goes missing in Afghanistan and is presumed dead for weeks.
Our thoughts: Jim Sheridan’s “Brothers” doesn’t feel as intense as Susanne Bier’s original film of the same title, but a handful of surprisingly solid acting performances give this remake a dramatic touch that’s hard to ignore. I wouldn’t count it among my favorite films of the year, but as a drama about a family struggling with loss and loneliness, “Brothers” works.
In the film, Tobey Maguire plays Capt. Sam Cahill, who goes missing after a helicopter crash during a tour in Afghanistan and is presumed dead shortly after. Back at home, his wife Grace (Natalie Portman) is devastated by the news, trying her best to keep it together for the sake of her two young daughters Isabelle and Maggie.
The only one Grace feels she can talk to is Sam’s brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), who’s trying to get his own life together after spending time in jail. When he’s not sleeping on her couch, Tommy either spends time with the girls or helps Grace with work around the house. The two soon share a kiss, and before they know it, Sam is on his way home after being found alive in Afghanistan.
It’s been a few years since I last saw Bier’s original “Brothers,” and while I admit I prefer that film to this one, Sheridan’s new version isn’t that bad. It may not have as much dramatic depth as the original film, but its characters and their complex relationships are still quite fascinating to observe. The cast especially delivers the goods in this remake.
While Tobey Maguire offers cinemagoers a shockingly intense performance, it is Natalie Portman who impressed me the most this time. I obviously knew she had it in her, but her acting in the role of the grieving wife and mother dealing with the loss of her war husband is just truly remarkable. The emotional power she brings to the big screen is really worth watching.
Gyllenhaal plays Tommy with much subtlety, and the dialogue he shares with Maguire and Portman feel honest and real. Sheridan often manages to create touching dramas with strong, believable relationships, and the complexity of the triangle between Tommy, Grace and a distressed Sam is one of the main reasons I enjoyed “Brothers.”
Freaky quote: "You know what I did to come back here?" - Tobey Maguire
The final word: “Brothers” succeeds as a straightforward drama about a mother finding comfort in a friend after the presumed death of her husband, but it also works as a drama about a family struggling to reconnect with a loved one who has seen hell in a war environment. Acted incredibly well and mostly fast-paced, Sheridan’s latest is a film worth seeing.
Article by Franck Tabouring
Reader Comments (1)
Great review. This movie is really good in so many ways: it's entertaining for the dramatic effects, it's a touching story about a family struggle, and it makes a powerful statement about war. Amazing performance from Maguire too. Loved this movie.