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Brothers

  • 2009
  • 12
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
141K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
883
691
Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire, and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brothers (2009)
Sam Cahill (Maguire) returns from being held as a prisoner-of-war in Afghanistan to find that his ex-con brother (Gyllenhaal) has become the man, of sorts, of the household where Sam's wife, Grace (Portman) had been living under the assumption that she was a widow.
Play trailer2:02
16 Videos
51 Photos
DramaThrillerWar

While on tour in Afghanistan, Sam's copter is shot down and he is presumed dead. Back home, it is his screw-up brother who looks after the family. Sam does return, but with a lot of excess b... Read allWhile on tour in Afghanistan, Sam's copter is shot down and he is presumed dead. Back home, it is his screw-up brother who looks after the family. Sam does return, but with a lot of excess baggage.While on tour in Afghanistan, Sam's copter is shot down and he is presumed dead. Back home, it is his screw-up brother who looks after the family. Sam does return, but with a lot of excess baggage.

  • Director
    • Jim Sheridan
  • Writers
    • David Benioff
    • Susanne Bier
    • Anders Thomas Jensen
  • Stars
    • Jake Gyllenhaal
    • Natalie Portman
    • Tobey Maguire
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    141K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    883
    691
    • Director
      • Jim Sheridan
    • Writers
      • David Benioff
      • Susanne Bier
      • Anders Thomas Jensen
    • Stars
      • Jake Gyllenhaal
      • Natalie Portman
      • Tobey Maguire
    • 286User reviews
    • 212Critic reviews
    • 58Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 16 nominations

    Videos16

    Brothers: UK Trailer
    Trailer 2:02
    Watch Brothers: UK Trailer
    Brothers: "Forbidden" TV Spot
    Trailer 0:32
    Watch Brothers: "Forbidden" TV Spot
    Brothers: Trailer #2
    Trailer 1:02
    Watch Brothers: Trailer #2
    Brothers -- Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:28
    Watch Brothers -- Trailer #1
    "Kiss" from Brothers
    Clip 1:00
    Watch "Kiss" from Brothers
    "I'm No Hero" from Brothers
    Clip 0:35
    Watch "I'm No Hero" from Brothers
    Brothers: The Dream
    Clip 0:45
    Watch Brothers: The Dream
    Brothers: Really Dead
    Clip 0:45
    Watch Brothers: Really Dead
    Brothers: Keys
    Clip 1:00
    Watch Brothers: Keys
    Brothers: Smashing Kitchen
    Clip 0:55
    Watch Brothers: Smashing Kitchen
    Brothers: He's Dead
    Clip 0:58
    Watch Brothers: He's Dead
    Brothers: The Truth
    Clip 1:07
    Watch Brothers: The Truth

    Photos51

    Natalie Portman and Tobey Maguire in Brothers (2009)
    Natalie Portman, Bailee Madison, and Taylor Geare in Brothers (2009)
    Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire, Bailee Madison, and Taylor Geare in Brothers (2009)
    Mare Winningham and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brothers (2009)
    Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brothers (2009)
    Sam Shepard, Mare Winningham, and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brothers (2009)
    Tobey Maguire, Jim Sheridan, and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brothers (2009)
    Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brothers (2009)
    Natalie Portman and Bailee Madison in Brothers (2009)
    Tobey Maguire in Brothers (2009)
    Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brothers (2009)
    Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bailee Madison, and Taylor Geare in Brothers (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jake Gyllenhaal
    Jake Gyllenhaal
    • Tommy Cahill
    Natalie Portman
    Natalie Portman
    • Grace Cahill
    Tobey Maguire
    Tobey Maguire
    • Capt. Sam Cahill
    Sam Shepard
    Sam Shepard
    • Hank Cahill
    Mare Winningham
    Mare Winningham
    • Elsie Cahill
    Bailee Madison
    Bailee Madison
    • Isabelle Cahill
    Taylor Geare
    Taylor Geare
    • Maggie Cahill
    Patrick John Flueger
    Patrick John Flueger
    • Private Joe Willis
    • (as Patrick Flueger)
    Clifton Collins Jr.
    Clifton Collins Jr.
    • Major Cavazos
    Carey Mulligan
    Carey Mulligan
    • Cassie Willis
    Omid Abtahi
    Omid Abtahi
    • Yusuf
    Navid Negahban
    Navid Negahban
    • Murad
    Ethan Suplee
    Ethan Suplee
    • Sweeney
    Arron Shiver
    Arron Shiver
    • A.J.
    Ray Prewitt
    • Owen
    Rebekah Wiggins
    Rebekah Wiggins
    • Marine Wife #1
    Carrie Fleming
    Carrie Fleming
    • Marine Wife #2
    Jenny Wade
    Jenny Wade
    • Tina
    • Director
      • Jim Sheridan
    • Writers
      • David Benioff
      • Susanne Bier
      • Anders Thomas Jensen
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Jake Gyllenhaal learned of the death of his close friend Heath Ledger while he was in the middle of shooting a scene for this film. 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.
    • Goofs
      The movie gives the location of the Marine Base as "Fort Mahlus". Only the US Army begins their bases with "Fort" (i.e. Fort Benning, Fort Bragg, etc). The US Marines begin their bases with "Camp" (i.e. Camp Pendleton, Camp Lejeune, etc).
    • Quotes

      Sam Cahill: You know what I did to fucking get back to you?

      Grace Cahill: No.

      Sam Cahill: YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU KNOW HOW HE FUCKING SUFFERED? HE FUCKING SUFFERED BECAUSE OF YOU! AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY FUCKING HOUSE AND MY FUCKING KIDS, GRACE? YOU ARE FUCKING MY BROTHER!

      Grace Cahill: Sam, you know I didn't.

      Sam Cahill: YOU ARE FUCKING MY BROTHER IN MY FUCKING HOUSE!

    • Connections
      Featured in Late Show with David Letterman: Episode #17.52 (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Rocky Mountain Man
      Written by David Manzanares

      Performed by David James

      Published and Recorded by David Manzanares (BMI)

    User reviews286

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    a generally faithful remake of the Danish original
    "Brothers" is an American remake of an excellent Danish drama from 2004. As the title suggests, the story centers on two male siblings who are essentially polar opposites of one another. Sam (Tobey Maguire) is an upright family man and lifelong Marine who has already served one tour in Afghanistan and is all set to embark on a second. Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a ne'er-do-well ex-con who's released from prison on the very same week Sam is being re-deployed to the battlefield, leaving a wife (Natalie Portman) and two young daughters (the delightful Bailee Madison and Taylor Grace Geare) behind at home. When news comes that Sam has been killed in a helicopter crash, Tommy is there to help pick up the pieces, leading to some potential romantic complications between him and his brother's grieving widow, Grace. But that turns out to be only half the story, as anyone familiar with the Danish version already knows.

    Written by David Benioff and directed by Jim Sheridan, "Brothers" follows the original fairly closely in terms of outline and incident, focusing on one man's attempts to turn his life around after making a mess of things, and another's efforts to come to terms with an action he performed under duress that his conscience will clearly never allow him to live with. The complex relationships among the three principal players - along with Sam's Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - are dealt with in an adult and thoughtful fashion, with a minimum of melodrama and nary a hint of sensationalism. The conflicts are further exacerbated by the men's father (Sam Shepherd), a hardnosed Vietnam vet whose personal preference for Sam over Tommy has been evident to both boys from very early on in their lives.

    "Brothers" reveals its European roots in its more deliberate pacing, its emotional complexity, its lack of judgment towards its characters, and its willingness to leave some loose ends hanging at the end. Maguire and Gyllenhaal are both excellent as the two torn brothers trying to stay close despite their differences - as are Portman, Shepherd and Mare Winningham as the boys' loving and conciliatory step mom whose calming influence over her husband goes a long way towards ameliorating some otherwise potentially volatile situations.
    helpful•22
    8
    • Buddy-51
    • Aug 22, 2010

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    FAQ1

    • Is 'Brothers' based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 10, 2009 (Netherlands)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Vidio (Indonesia)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Tình Anh Em
    • Filming locations
      • Glorieta, New Mexico, USA
    • Production companies
      • Lions Gate Films
      • Relativity Media
      • Sighvatsson Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $26,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $28,544,157
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $9,527,848
      • Dec 6, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $43,474,578
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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