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Brothers
(2009)
Directed by
Jim Sheridan
Review by
Todd Plucknett
Posted - 12/21/09
Jim Sheridan’s new film
Brothers, the remake of the
great 2005 Danish film by Susanne Bier of the same name, is a difficult
picture. It is blessed with an amazing story, one that is particularly
relevant in today’s society. It is blessed with some of the best
underrated talent in the industry, but somehow it comes up short in
delivering the goods. It definitely has its strengths, but the incurable
problems lie in David Benioff’s substandard screenplay. It could have
been one of the best films of the year, but instead, we are left with a
wasted opportunity.
The story follows the Cahill family. Sam (Tobey
Maguire) is a Captain in the Army who is about to be deployed again to
Afghanistan. His brother is Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is in and out
of jail. Sam’s wife is Grace (Natalie Portman), a wonderful woman who is
left to take care of the two kids. When Sam goes missing overseas, Grace
and Tommy begin to bond after previously hating each other. Sam is
pronounced dead, only to return months later after life-changing events
while being held captive (think
The Deer Hunter-type events). When Sam returns home, he is damaged
mentally and physically. He has no sense of humor, and he does not trust
anyone. It is a stark and moving portrait into the effect that war has
on returning soldiers.
The acting is good for the most part. The film is
held together by Natalie Portman, giving one of her best performances to
date. Jake Gyllenhaal gives by far his best turn in this film. Tobey
Maguire was very weak and horribly miscast, however. He seemed lost
throughout the movie. He looked like he didn’t belong, not just because
I didn’t buy him as a high-ranking soldier. When he breaks down, I
cringed, not out of being disturbed, but by how he was embarrassing
himself. A better, more sensitive actor would have been a more wise
choice. Joseph Gordon-Levitt maybe? Oscar nominees Sam Shepard and Mare
Winningham do fine with what they were given. Breakout star of
An Education Carey Mulligan
provides a superb scene. The biggest surprise was Bailee Madison, giving
a superb and emotional child performance.
The screenplay is the main issue here, which
surprises me, due to the fact that it is the same writer (David Benioff)
of the masterful screenplay of
25th
Hour, which handled somewhat similar characters flawlessly. It just
does not have the intelligence of his great screenplays like that one
and
The Kite Runner. It falls
into the weaker category populated by his cliché
Wolverine, the disaster
Stay, and the overrated
Troy. Some of the characters
are walking clichés, especially Sam Shepard’s character. I was surprised
he didn’t bust out the
Dewey Cox
line, “Wrong kid died!” It was just so disappointing. There were also
some lines that were either too obvious or just plain corny. The
original did not have any of those problems. It was sincere, not
melodramatic. The characters were realistic, not overdone. If I hadn’t
seen that film the way it was meant to be seen, I might have bought the
Sam character more, but it still wouldn’t have fit with the casting
choice.
Maybe I am just not a big Jim Sheridan fan. I
didn’t really care for
My Left
Foot for similar reasons why I wasn’t completely captivated by this
picture. I liked
In America a
lot, though. He just doesn’t have a consistent subtle touch. In a lot of
ways, it reminds me of Oliver Stone. He made his career on being blunt
and unrelenting. Sheridan’s best film was a superbly-crafted family
drama, yet he makes pretentious melodramas or trash like
Get Rich or Die Tryin’ in
between. There is a voiceover in
Brothers that really draws the connection. In the final moments
before the credits, Sam tells us what the movie was about, much like in
Platoon. Just this time, it
was beyond obvious what the film was trying to say. It was just
frustrating. If not for that line, it would have ended on a completely
moving and authentic moment.
If this review seems a little scattered, that’s
because it is, just like the film. The Grace and Tommy characters were
so interesting to follow. But then the screenplay calls for a scene in
the trenches of Afghanistan to show some more terribly-acted torture
scenes. Every scene with Shepard is ruined by the unimaginative writing
of his character. There are some scenes that feel like a masterpiece,
but there are far too many that are overdone and heavy-handed. Don’t let
this mostly-critical review fool you, however. This is an entertaining
film to watch. The audience will never be bored or beg for more
explosive scenes. It is just the little things that went wrong, things
that people who watch a lot of movies pick up on. Those things
consequently made the film unstable and almost fall apart. This is a
tremendous story, but the original Danish film is definitely the better
one. I am not one to just immediately depreciate remakes, either. It
just does a more effective and engaging job telling the story. This will
be a popular picture I am sure, with the appealing cast and somewhat
rewarding and pertinent subject matter. It just could have and should
have been better.
Rating:
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