LinhBrothers; drama film review
March 18th 2010 22:03
Sibling Support by Linh
Six-time Oscar-nominated director Jim Sheridan (In The Name Of The Father, My Left Foot – The Story of Christy Brown) has masterfully re-made a beautiful 2004 Danish film, Brødre, into a emotionally-fraught and watchable American story of a two brothers titled Brothers.
It is usually difficult to transfer the subtle and mesmerising allure of a foreign film into an American version, yet Jim Sheridan has successfully taken BrothersYour text goes here to a different level without giving it the formulaic Hollywood treatment.
Brothers follows the lives of two brothers, a dependable and courageous soldier Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) and his recently-released-from-prison brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal). When Sam is deployed to Afghanistan, he leaves behind his wife Grace (Natalie Portman) and two daughters Isabelle (Bailee Madison) and Maggie (Taylor Geare). When Grace receives a message that Sam has been killed in battle, she soon receives the support and companionship of Tommy, whom the daughters quickly accept into the family. While Tommy brings some joy and sunshine into the lives of Sam’s family members, Sam and his friend and colleague Private Joseph Willis (Patrick Flueger) are captured by Taliban fighters and tortured. After Sam is rescued by US soldiers, he returns home as a changed man. His experiences in Afghanistan manifests itself into obsessive compulsiveness, paranoia and he suspects his wife of committing adultery with his brother.
It is a refreshing change to see the talented trio consisting of Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Tobey Maguire leaving the big-budget blockbuster Hollywood movies for a while, to appear in an independent film such as Jim Sheridan’s Iraq War drama Brothers.
Jake Gyllenhaal is at his best as the calm and laid-back Tommy Cahill whom his father Hank continues to disapprove of, despite Tommy’s willingness to turn over a new leaf in life after his stint in prison.
Natalie Portman gives a wonderful portrayal of Grace, the young and demure wife of Sam, who must handle the children on her own after hearing of his death, then has to deal with his erratic behaviour when he returns.
Tobey Maguire is brilliant as Sam, whose treatment at the hands of Taliban fighters has left him psychologically-scarred and emotionally unstable. His once strong and loving relationship with his daughters become fractured and his trust in his wife slowly diminishes.
This year’s Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan for An Education, shines in her few scenes as the wife of Private Joseph Willis; playwright/actor/director Sam Shepard is commanding in his depiction of Hank Cahill, a war veteran and father of Sam and Tommy; the two daughters Isabelle and Maggie played by Bailee Madison and Taylor Geare are adorably convincing; and comic relief comes courtesy of Ethan Suplee as Sweeney, Arron Shiver playing A.J. and Ray Prewitt as Owen.
Brothers is a gentle family drama that is beautifully filmed, the performances of the leading and supporting cast are excellent and the story-line moves steadily to a cathartic climax. The focus on war’s impact on a family is maintained throughout without the soppy sentimentality of other similar films.
Director: Jim Sheridan
Cast: Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, Sam Shepard, Mare Winningham, Bailee Madison, Taylor Geare, Carey Mulligan, Patrick Flueger, Clifton Collins Jr. , Jenny Wade, Ethan Suplee, Arron Shiver, Ray Prewitt, Omid Abtahi, Navid Negahban, Yousuf Azami
Screenplay: David Benioff, Susanne Bier (Danish film Brødre) and Anders Thomas Jensen (Danish film Brødre)
Producers: Jeremiah Samuels , Scott Fischer, Ryan Kavanaugh, Zach Schiff-Abrams, Tucker Tooley, Michael De Luca, Matt Battaglia, Mark Fischer, Sigurjon Sighvatsson
Cinematographer: Frederick Elmes
Original Music: Thomas Newman
Film Editor: Jay Cassidy
Running Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
BROTHERLY: Sam (Tobey Maguire) and Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) reconcile after Sam returns from Afghanistan in the film Brothers. Image: Lionsgate.
Six-time Oscar-nominated director Jim Sheridan (In The Name Of The Father, My Left Foot – The Story of Christy Brown) has masterfully re-made a beautiful 2004 Danish film, Brødre, into a emotionally-fraught and watchable American story of a two brothers titled Brothers.
It is usually difficult to transfer the subtle and mesmerising allure of a foreign film into an American version, yet Jim Sheridan has successfully taken BrothersYour text goes here to a different level without giving it the formulaic Hollywood treatment.
Brothers follows the lives of two brothers, a dependable and courageous soldier Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) and his recently-released-from-prison brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal). When Sam is deployed to Afghanistan, he leaves behind his wife Grace (Natalie Portman) and two daughters Isabelle (Bailee Madison) and Maggie (Taylor Geare). When Grace receives a message that Sam has been killed in battle, she soon receives the support and companionship of Tommy, whom the daughters quickly accept into the family. While Tommy brings some joy and sunshine into the lives of Sam’s family members, Sam and his friend and colleague Private Joseph Willis (Patrick Flueger) are captured by Taliban fighters and tortured. After Sam is rescued by US soldiers, he returns home as a changed man. His experiences in Afghanistan manifests itself into obsessive compulsiveness, paranoia and he suspects his wife of committing adultery with his brother.
ASSISTANCE: Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) offers to help Grace (Natalie Portman) babysit her daughters while she deals with Sam's death in the film Brothers. Image: Lionsgate.
It is a refreshing change to see the talented trio consisting of Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Tobey Maguire leaving the big-budget blockbuster Hollywood movies for a while, to appear in an independent film such as Jim Sheridan’s Iraq War drama Brothers.
Jake Gyllenhaal is at his best as the calm and laid-back Tommy Cahill whom his father Hank continues to disapprove of, despite Tommy’s willingness to turn over a new leaf in life after his stint in prison.
Natalie Portman gives a wonderful portrayal of Grace, the young and demure wife of Sam, who must handle the children on her own after hearing of his death, then has to deal with his erratic behaviour when he returns.
Tobey Maguire is brilliant as Sam, whose treatment at the hands of Taliban fighters has left him psychologically-scarred and emotionally unstable. His once strong and loving relationship with his daughters become fractured and his trust in his wife slowly diminishes.
TOGETHER: Grace (Natalie Portman) greets her husband Sam (Tobey Maguire) at the airport with their daughters Isabelle (Bailee Madison) and Maggie (Taylor Geare) following close behind in the film Brothers. Image: Lionsgate.
This year’s Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan for An Education, shines in her few scenes as the wife of Private Joseph Willis; playwright/actor/director Sam Shepard is commanding in his depiction of Hank Cahill, a war veteran and father of Sam and Tommy; the two daughters Isabelle and Maggie played by Bailee Madison and Taylor Geare are adorably convincing; and comic relief comes courtesy of Ethan Suplee as Sweeney, Arron Shiver playing A.J. and Ray Prewitt as Owen.
Brothers is a gentle family drama that is beautifully filmed, the performances of the leading and supporting cast are excellent and the story-line moves steadily to a cathartic climax. The focus on war’s impact on a family is maintained throughout without the soppy sentimentality of other similar films.
Director: Jim Sheridan
Cast: Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, Sam Shepard, Mare Winningham, Bailee Madison, Taylor Geare, Carey Mulligan, Patrick Flueger, Clifton Collins Jr. , Jenny Wade, Ethan Suplee, Arron Shiver, Ray Prewitt, Omid Abtahi, Navid Negahban, Yousuf Azami
Screenplay: David Benioff, Susanne Bier (Danish film Brødre) and Anders Thomas Jensen (Danish film Brødre)
Producers: Jeremiah Samuels , Scott Fischer, Ryan Kavanaugh, Zach Schiff-Abrams, Tucker Tooley, Michael De Luca, Matt Battaglia, Mark Fischer, Sigurjon Sighvatsson
Cinematographer: Frederick Elmes
Original Music: Thomas Newman
Film Editor: Jay Cassidy
Running Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
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