The Brothers McMullen (1995)

Three Irish Catholic brothers from Long Island struggle to deal with love, marriage, and infidelity.

Director:

Edward Burns

Writer:

Edward Burns

Stars:

Jack Mulcahy, Michael McGlone, Edward Burns

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Shari Albert	...	Susan
Maxine Bahns	...	Audrey
Catharine Bolz	...	Mrs. McMullen
Connie Britton	...	Molly McMullen
Edward Burns	...	Barry / Finbar McMullen
Peter Johansen	...	Marty
Jennifer Jostyn	...	Leslie
Michael McGlone	...	Patrick McMullen (as Mike McGlone)
Elizabeth McKay	...	Ann
Jack Mulcahy	...	Jack McMullen

Storyline

This angst-filled tale of three Irish-Catholic brothers explores men's relationships with women. Three different situations are set up on parallel plotlines, with each brother facing a different kind of crisis. Their common bond as family, as well as close lifelong friends, allows them to express their feelings frankly and intimately, as they talk and discuss their concerns among each other. Jack finds himself in a marriage gone stale and under pressure to start a family that he does not yet feel ready for. Barry, dedicated to his film career and almost pathologically averse to any type of commitment in a relationship, is suddenly artistically successful and finds true love, both for the first time and both pulling him in opposite directions. Patrick is torn between his love for his religion and ethnic heritage and his love for Susan, his longtime Jewish girlfriend. Ultimately, they are all asked to resist temptation of one sort or another, with various poignant outcomes.

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Plot Keywords:

irish catholic | long island | low budget film | loss of father | abusive father | 

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Taglines:

Jack is trying to save his marriage, Patrick is in a hopeless relationship, but their biggest problem is Barry's brotherly advice.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Brothers McMullen

Filming Locations:

50 Commerce St, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$10,246,600

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brothers McMullen Productions, Marlboro Road Gang Productions, Videography Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eight of the ten cast members made their film debut in this film.

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Goofs

At the end of the movie, the two main characters are on the sidewalk talking, and a New York trash can jumps back and forth all around them between shots.

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Quotes

Jack McMullen: [reminiscing about their father] Remember some of that stuff he'd say when he was half in the bag?
Barry McMullen: [mimicking his father] You shut your mouth when you're talking to me!
Patrick McMullen: The only thing I wanna hear out of you is nothing!
Jack McMullen: And when I asked Dad how he liked my new red varsity jacket? He said 'You should get another one in blue and burn the both of em'.

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Connections

Featured in Sarah McLachlan: Video Collection 1989-1998 (1998)

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Soundtracks

Once Upon A Time
Written by Seamus Egan and Winifred Horan
Performed by Seamus Egan

User Reviews

What rubbish!

I'm a fan of independent and low-budget films. I've seen quite a number of them, and I'm not necessarily put off by amateurish production quality, poor lighting & film quality, etc. - IF THE STORY AND CHARACTERS are there.

The Brothers McMullen has been lauded in indie-film circles for several years now. I've been meaning to see it for some time, and today did so. What I now can say with certainty is that all the buzz and hype around this film is utterly undeserved. The story is utterly banal, the characters are banal, thinly drawn and not just unsympathetic but entirely uninteresting and self-absorbed, and the "direction" childish. The camera and lighting is not just amateurish but seems nearly to be deliberately self-sabotaged.

Now let's get on to the illustrious Edward Burns - who has derived such attention and acclaim for this little "gem" of a film. In watching other films in which he appeared (Saving Private Ryan, 15 Minutes), I was struck by just how inexpressive, wooden and plastic-like his characters were. Yet he was said to be excellent in this film, so I tried to keep an open mind as I watched this film.

What did I discover? That Mr. Burns was no better in this film than he was in the others. I learned that Burns' sole talent is staring into the camera trying to pretend to convey meaning through his sad-sack eyes, yet he isn't capable of conveying ANYTHING - the man is essentially a mute when it comes to any sort of meaningful communication to the audience.

I can't imagine how any person watching this film could have come away with a positive impression of it - there simply isn't any part of it that I would recommend to anyone else. Give it a wide berth - don't waste your $3.95 renting this dreck at Blockbuster.