Film Reviews

Brothers (2009)

• Rating:
• Director: Jim Sheridan
• Starring: Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Carey Mulligan
• Details: US/110mins (15A)

As a showcase for movie stars that can actually act, this remake of the 2004 Danish film of the same name works a dream. Portman, Gyllenhaal and especially Maguire, shine in their grounded roles as part of a family already dealing with a barrage of issues, when the eldest son ships off to war. If there's one thing that Jim Sheridan can almost always get right, it's pushing his actors in the right direction. The two young actresses playing Maguire and Portman's kids give incredibly organic performances for such a young age. It may end with too much of a ponderous whimper for some, but for the most part, this is some stirring drama. Maguire is the eldest of two brothers, and is about to ship off to war in Afghanistan. The younger brother, Gyllenhaal, has just gotten out of prison and instantly slots back into his role as the family screw up. When Maguire's revered marine goes missing at war and is assumed killed in action, Gyllenhaal's sibling straightens himself out enough to help out Portman's grieving wife and her two young daughters. But after the heroic marine returns home from a horrendous ordeal in captivity, he struggles to cope with the painful memories of what he's been through. If you can, completely avoid the trailer for Brothers until you've seen it. It's made look like a straight-up thriller, which it really isn’t. There is an underlining tension running throughout that only really only becomes overtly visible when Maguire returns home; but this isn't a thriller, it's a family drama. With that in mind, you should enjoy Brothers, as it never deviates from an admirable realism - a testament to Sheridan's steady hand guiding it. As with a lot of Sheridan's productions the acting is the main reason to see this. Maguire gives easily his strongest performance to date, as the favoured son who returns home a changed man; his intense turn managing to stimulate both fear and sympathy. Gyllenhaal's best scenes are with a subdued but effective Sam Shepard, while Portman is nice fit as the dutiful wife. Bailee Madison steals every single scene she's in, though; giveing the movies co-standout turn alongside Maguire. The war scenes aren't as effective or visceral as they could've been, and the ending sadly echoes that of previous, cumbersome war film Jarhead. Despite that, this is still engaging, entertaining cinema.

Review by Mike Sheridan