Brothers (I) (2009)

A young man comforts his older brother's wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan.

Director:

Jim Sheridan

Writers:

David Benioff (screenplay), Susanne Bier (motion picture "Brødre"),

Stars:

Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tobey Maguire	...	Capt. Sam Cahill
Jake Gyllenhaal	...	Tommy Cahill
Natalie Portman	...	Grace Cahill
Sam Shepard	...	Hank Cahill
Mare Winningham	...	Elsie Cahill
Bailee Madison	...	Isabelle Cahill
Taylor Geare	...	Maggie Cahill
Patrick John Flueger	...	Private Joe Willis (as Patrick Flueger)
Clifton Collins Jr.	...	Major Cavazos
Carey Mulligan	...	Cassie Willis
Omid Abtahi	...	Yusuf
Navid Negahban	...	Murad
Ethan Suplee	...	Sweeney
Arron Shiver	...	A.J.
Ray Prewitt	...	Owen

Storyline

Before leaving on his second tour in Afghanistan, Marine Captain Sam Cahill, a leader, an athlete, a good husband and father, welcomes his screw-up brother Tommy home from prison. He'd robbed a bank. In country, Sam's helicopter is shot down and all are presumed dead. Back home, while Sam wastes away as a prisoner in a remote encampment, Tommy tries to take care of the widow and her two children. While imprisoned, Sam experiences horrors unbearable, so when he's rescued and returns home, he's silent, detached, without affect, and he's convinced his wife and brother have slept together. Demons of war possess him; what will silence them?

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Plot Keywords:

afghanistan | helicopter | marine | prisoner | captain | 

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Taglines:

There are two sides to every family

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some disturbing violent content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 December 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hermanos

Filming Locations:

Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£366,290 (UK) (22 January 2010)

Gross:

£1,028,334 (UK) (5 February 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lionsgate, Relativity Media, Sighvatsson Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.40:1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jake Gyllenhaal learned of the death of his close friend and Brokeback Mountain co-star Heath Ledger while he was in the middle of shooting a scene for this film. Upon hearing the news, Gyllenhaal immediately walked off set, and returned to finish the scene two days later. He then took a longer bereavement leave before he was ready to continue with the rest of his scenes.

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Goofs

When Maggie is painting the kitchen and spills the bin on Sweeney, in one cut the paint is covering all of that portion of his clothes while in the very next there is a spot that shows parts of his shirt. In the very next cut (when he says "lets hug it out") the paint is covering the entire portion again.

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Quotes

Isabelle Cahill: [Screaming] Why couldn't you just stay dead!

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Up in the Air/Everybody's Fine/Brothers (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Winter"
(2009)
Music by U2
Lyrics by Bono
Performed by U2
Produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois (as Danny Lanois)
Engineered by Declan Gaffney and Dave Emery
Additional Keyboards by Terry Lawless and Brian Eno
Mixed by Declan Gaffney, Dave Emery and Brian Eno
Published by Universal Music Publ. Int. B.V., Administered by Universal - Polygram Int. Publ.,
Inc. (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Universal-Island Records Ltd.
Under License From Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

A decent movie

Brothers is a decent movie showing the trauma both a soldier and his family face due to Tobey Maguire's "job" as a marine. Although the script could have been improved and more drama could have been added throughout the movie, the actors in Brothers deliver superbly.

Tobey Maguire is rumored to be mentioned at the Oscars and his performance probably deserves it, especially during his "break down" scene. Natalie Portman as the wife and Sam Shepard acting as the father also deliver plausible and emotional performances. Carey Mulligain, who I almost did not recognise, plays a cameo role and Clifton Collins Jnr also makes a brief appearance.

If you haven't watched the trailer for this film, do not watch it as it gives much away. Also, do not read about this movie much before you watch it either. The less you know about Brothers, the better its plot will unfold.

I also must point out that although Tobey Maguire is the one with the Golden Globe nomination and rumoured Oscar nomination, Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a much more subtle, and on the whole, a better performance than Tobey. He seemed to connect me more to his character with some comedic lines, gentle eyes and genuine acts of redemption. I rate Brothers one star higher because of Jake and if it were up to me, he'd get a supporting actor nomination.

Don't expect a masterpiece like The Deer Hunter, but if you're looking for some new, depressive entertainment, then Brothers is a good flick...It had potential and it delivered on most of it; however, some potential was also left unaccounted for.