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IMDbPro

Brothers

  • 20092009
  • RR
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
134K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,362
521
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.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
134K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,362
521
  • Director
    • Jim Sheridan
  • Writers
    • David Benioff(screenplay)
    • Susanne Bier(motion picture "Brødre")
    • Anders Thomas Jensen(motion picture "Brødre")
  • Stars
    • Jake Gyllenhaal
    • Natalie Portman
    • Tobey Maguire
  • Director
    • Jim Sheridan
  • Writers
    • David Benioff(screenplay)
    • Susanne Bier(motion picture "Brødre")
    • Anders Thomas Jensen(motion picture "Brødre")
  • Stars
    • Jake Gyllenhaal
    • Natalie Portman
    • Tobey Maguire
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 275User reviews
    • 211Critic reviews
    • 58Metascore
  • See more 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(screenplay)
      • Susanne Bier(motion picture "Brødre")
      • Anders Thomas Jensen(motion picture "Brødre")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    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 reviews275

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Powerful movie, great individual performances, a few flaws
    The trio of Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Macguire and Natalie Portman got me very excited for this film, and from an acting standpoint, they did not disappoint. The script gives Macguire the most to work with as the family man/Marine, Sam Cahill, whose latest trip to Afghanistan sees him imprisoned by the Taliban and ultimately returned to America with some serious psychological issues. While he is MIA, his wife, Grace, (Portman) and ex-con brother, Tommy, (Gyllenhaal) are told he is dead, and the two grow closer, eventually verging on emotional and physical attachment.

    Ultimately, the movie is an emotional ringer. Sam returns to a family that wants to love him, but his walls are up, he's been through a lot and its his brother the fun loving Uncle Tommy who Sam's children want to play with. A quick note, Sheridan the director makes great use of the two daughters as comic breaks in otherwise terribly tense situations. Our theater was laughing at the kids and it felt to me, as though we needed that laughter to balance out the gloom. There are a few climaxes, some extremely tense family dinners and finally a final gripping scene where Sam is pushed to the brink, he distrusts his wife, assumes his brother is sleeping with her, and no longer can see the humor in his elementary aged children, can he hold on?

    Its a touching film and a sad film, but it probably could have been a bit better. The script and title of the film suggest a big tension or interplay between the brothers. I found the brother relationship lacking in substance, and I thought the ingredients for some serious tension and emotional pain were in place but were never put to use. Sam Shepard does well as the Vietnam Vet father, but all he really does is establish his love for his son, the Marine, and his disdain for his son, the ex-con. There was so much more that he could have done, his role seems intentionally diminished. Portman is great as usual, but arguably miscast, as she doesn't belong cast into a film where she is not supposed to think. She's a thinking woman's actress and here she is left observing, we know she knows, but her character must play it clueless.

    I cried, and wanted the story to continue, as there seems to be a bit left to this story when the film fades away. Both signs that the movie was enjoyable and touching. The growth of Gyllenhaal as the ex-con who is on the rise, adjusting to life on the outside and acting as a surrogate father in the absence of Macguire is nicely juxtaposed with Macguire's devolution into post-traumatic stress ridden torment. Watch the Oscar nods roll in, but I think, if anything, the movie may win individual awards, as the product as a whole falls quite a bit short of award winning status.
    helpful•165
    36
    • ericjams
    • Dec 5, 2009

    FAQ1

    • Is 'Brothers' based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 4, 2009 (United States)
    • 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
      • Lionsgate
      • 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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