Cinema Society

BROTHERS

Average
Rating

4.1

Monday, November 30, 2009, AMC La Jolla 12 Theatres

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30

7:00PM: Cinema Chat with Andy, Auditorium 4

7:10PM: Introduction, Auditorium 4

7:20PM: Introduction, Auditorium 5

7:30PM: BROTHERS, Auditoriums 4 & 5

Discussion will follow screening in Auditorium 4

AMC La Jolla 12 Theatres

BROTHERS

When a decorated Marine goes missing overseas, his black-sheep younger brother cares for his wife and children at home—with consequences that will shake the foundation of the entire family.

Directed by Jim Sheridan (IN AMERICA), BROTHERS stars Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Sam Shepard and Mare Willingham.

A Lions Gate Release, it opens commercially in San Diego on December 4th.

Rated R for language and some disturbing violent content. Running Time: 110 Minutes

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT TAKES PLACE ON A MONDAY!

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8-Dec-09: Mark - Rating: 4

This is a fine commercial film, though neither as powerful nor as subtle nor as perfectly realized as the Danish version. Hollywood just doesn't seem capable of improving on the foreign films it chooses to remake. Gyllenhaal did a particularly good job in his role, which I thought was actually a more challenging one than Maguire's. I have a high regard for Maguire, but he seemed miscast and unconvincing in this role. And Natalie Portman was mostly one-dimensional.

If you enjoyed this movie, I recommend that you watch the Danish version (available from Netflix) and compare the performances of Ulrich Thomsen, Connie Nielsen, and Nikolaj Lie Kaas to those of Maguire, Portman, and Gyllenhaal.

2-Dec-09: Georgi - Rating: 4

This film was powerful and true to reality. I have spent time with those who suffer from PTSD and Toby McGuire's enactment hit the target (so to speak). Sheridan is a terrific director when it comes to his characters. The chemistry between the two brothers and between the two sisters were parallelled beautifully. (Gee, Andy I wish you had spell check!) I have not seen the other two 2009 war movies (The Hurt Locker and The Messenger) but am sure they all come from different perspectives. Look what Obama had to filter in to his recent decision. Our view of war, the enemy and our solidiers is not black and white, but gray. Brothers showed this ... clearly.

1-Dec-09: JF - Rating: 3

I thought the movie was poorly edited and disjointed, scenes did not play out naturally and were cut short. I also found the shift of mood jarring, happy ice-skating then quick cut to torture, too obviously trying to elicit audience reaction. The kids were terrific-the director really knows how to get natural, heart felt perfs from children. Father and mother were very one dimensional. I was disappointed, but judging from the other responses this was not the case for most!

1-Dec-09: Mroe - Rating: 4

I left this film with a heavy heart, it was a tough film to sit through, it's very haunting. The acting was superb, however I was not sure in the beginning because this seemed like such a grownup story and I am use to seeing the three leads in more slick/hip/sexy films. Though I knew they are good actors it seemed like they were "playing" grownups but they were more real and age appropriate then ever before and did a phenomenal job. It's interesting that they chose Tobey Maguire to portray the Marine when Jake Gyllenhaal was a Marine in "Jarhead".

I don't know where Mr. Sheridan gets these young girls for his films or maybe it is the talent of his directing but the emotion and performance he got out of the actress that portrayed Isabelle was incredible and almost unbelievable.

I thought the dialogue was rather sparse and at times it seemed like Mr. Sheridan was trying to focus on specific moments rather then be cliché. He didn't show Grace breaking down in hysterics when she was told that Sam was dead, in fact she was portrayed rather soldier like, almost stoic....a true military wife? I know they are strong people but one never knows how strong till faced with the moment. Even the kids were rather "ok" with the death of their father, not overly sensitive more matter-of-fact (like when they asked if he was dead like their mothers parents) and even when he returned they reacted more like he had just returned from a standard deployment not back from the dead. I know children are resilient but this was unexpected. Was Sam's obsession with thinking Grace and Tommy had slept together just a distraction from thinking about his horrific experiences in Afghanistan or just part of the paranoia that he was also experiencing? I thought that maybe if she had still kept from opening the letter that she could prove to him that she really hadn't believed that he was dead therefore she would not have thought of sleeping with his brother (the kiss was understandable).

Though one of the Cinema Society members attempted at a political statement, this film doesn't feel like that, though it's hard when presented with a specific and personal story one can't help to react with "take them all out now and leave" just to avoid anyone else having to experience what we saw on screen. On the logical practical side, there are sacrifices for freedom but it gets very gray and fuzzy when we don't know who's freedom.

Finally being an only child I do not know what it is to have a sibling let alone a strong bond like Sam and Tommy obviously had....in fact the title of the film can be taken both ways the "brothers" that Sam and Tommy were and the "brothers" that you have in military life....is one stronger then the other? It is obviously a lot harder to treat a wound that is not visible to the eye, the pain runs a lot deeper and affects more people.

1-Dec-09: DD - Rating: 5

Part of what determines a movie's rating is how many times you find yourself thinking about it afterwards. I thought about it all evening and am still thinking about it today. Some personality traits and actions were a little unbelievable (would Tommy really call Grace for bar money?), but others were true to life. The girl playing the older daughter is an incredible actress! Such emotion on that little face! Very gripping movie.

1-Dec-09: pb - Rating: 5

Top notch acting. Every detail rang true. Cinematography was excellent. The little girls were outstanding. Heart-wrenching. Difficult to watch. And we are now sending 30,000 more troops to Afganistan.