BROTHERS is another kind of hurt locker

Score:

In Brothers, a remake of a 2004 Danish film, Director Jim Sheridan shows the toll a death can take on everyone in a family, and the rift that forms when a father comes back from the dead. It's an interesting journey filled with rich performances, though, at times, the film is a bit too visually slick for the story its telling. 

Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal) has never been as good or smart as his brother Sam (Tobey Maguire). Sam was a football star and the favorite of their father, Hank (Sam Shepard). Hank is a veteran, and was honored that Sam took up the call and joined the army. Tommy, well he ended up in jail for armed robbery. When the story begins, he is leaving prison as Sam prepares to leave for Afghanistan.

If you've seen the trailer, you have a general outline of the rest. Soon after deployment Sam's helicopter is hit by enemy fire. His wife Grace (Natalie Portman) and two young daughters, Grace (Taylor Geare) and Isabelle (Bailee Madison), must now rebuild their life without Dad. Tommy, feeling guilty, helps take care of the house, and fixes up the kitchen for the girls. Grace is reluctant to let him in at first, but his help is genuine and eventually she and the girls warm to him, and begin to grow attached.

Then Sam returns. He's been a prisoner of the Taliban (or a similar Afghani terrorist group) for the past few months. Tobey Maguire is stiff, listless, and distant as the returning Captain. Burns and scars dot his now emaciated frame, while a profound sense of guilt and paranoia isolate his mind from those around him. He was the kind of guy who'd wrestle with his two little girls, but now can't even laugh crack a smile when they tell a joke at the dinner table. He is not well, and when he gets it in his head that Grace and Tommy are having an affair, he begins to break down. 

Though I didn't realize Maguire could play such a disturbed character, it is Natalie Portman and the young Bailee Madison (Isabelle) that really impress. Portman's acting prowess was proven in Garden State some years ago. I've forgotten how hard it is to watch her cry. Maybe it's the quiver in her lip, but she has some real talent. Here, she proves she can play a mother just as easily as an aimless twenty-something. She is underestimated as an actor. Bailee Madison is also a breakout here, displaying more depth than most grown actors, and she's only 10. At the dinner table she screams at her father, wishing he was more like her uncle Tommy. 

Gyllenhaal puts on a good show too, as do most players in the film. Unfortunately, the production is a bit too slick and well put together. Seeing the terrorists torture Sam in perfectly lit and perfectly shot frames is almost jarring. It just looks too nice to be real. I've read that Brodre, the 2004 Danish film Brothers is based on, has a grittier look to it. I wish Jim Sheridan would have chosen a similar direction. 

Many of the situations and dialogue border on the cliche and camp as well. Luckily, the screenplay never tumbles into melodrama and theatricality. By sticking with Sam's struggle, its sincerity shines through. Some acting nominations could sprout from this one.

[Editor's Note: I tweaked the intro to the article, to avoid spoilers.]

Trailer and Poster

Comments

[Jaclyn]

I had forgotten just how hard it is to watch Portman cry.

Dude. I'm glad you mentioned this. I can't watch her cry without crying too! There's just something about her face. It's very expressive.

I was somewhat skeptical about this movie, but if the acting's as strong as you say it is, I guess I'll have to check it out.

[Lynsey]

I was going to go see this movie, but I figured I better make sure Jeff approved first. Thanks for convincing me.