‘Brothers’ is a Brilliant and Stirring Drama
-----Tobey Maguire freaking out; thus is the initial appeal of ‘Brothers,’ its all-star cast including Maguire, Natalie Portman, and Jake Gyllenhaal. What follows is a touching drama far less exploitative of its subject material than the trailer would suggest. And the result is one of the year’s finest dramas, and one of the better films in an already great holiday movie season.
-----‘Brothers’ follows Captain Sam Cahill as he deals with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the wake of his return from Afghanistan. When Sam is thought KIA during his assignment, his brother Tommy, recently removed from jail, grows close to his family. This leaves Sam worried that his brother may have gotten too close during his leave, fighting both paranoia and the memory of his struggle in Afghanistan.
-----Tobey Maguire stars as Sam, an upright Marine with a gorgeous wife and two daughters. I’ve always been a fan of physical commitment to roles, and Maguire is that and more. In the tradition of performances like Christian Bale’s in ‘The Machinist,’ Maguire trained for 12 hours a day over a three-week stretch, losing a total of 25 pounds for the role. Better still is his ability to bring a nuanced sincerity to his role, along with humanism rarely seen in Hollywood. Some of his more intense scenes are downright riveting, with enough inner passion to avoid any semblance of overacting. Jake Gyllenhaal plays his delinquent brother in another very strong performance. Acting as an intriguing subplot, Gyllenhaal believably portrays the transformation of a family black sheep. Like Maguire, he has a deafening onscreen presence, with a select scenes proving to be some of the year’s finest dramatic displays. Gluing the two together is another winning performance from the ever talented actress Natalie Portman. She seals the chemistry between the trio, showing diverse interactions with the two brothers, and shedding tears as genuine as home cooked food. Somehow the three are able to avoid the archetypes set out for their characters, and work together beautifully in this character driven film. Sam Shepard and Mare Winningham are also strong as the two brothers’ parents, along with surprisingly convincing roles from Bailee Madison and Taylor Geare as the young daughters of Captain Sam Cahill.
-----Melodrama is an exaggeration of unjustified emotions. Subsequently, given the heavy and very serious topics of the film, it is ridiculous to call ‘Brothers’ melodramatic. The narrative is nuanced, the script is meticulous, and the emotions are genuine, resulting in anything but a melodramatic experience. Full of tension and even a surprise or two, the film effectively takes a relatively worn war-drama plot, and advances it through a bold and sure execution. And at a runtime of one hour and fifty minutes, audiences will also be pleased to know that time flies in the presence of this three act drama paced to perfection as it steadily navigates the script with excellent editing and sans a dull moment. ‘Brothers’ also acts as a relevant tale about the effects of modern war, standing above the biases of politics.
-----The cinematography in the film is likewise superb. Admirably framed, beautifully shot, and smart with its locations, ‘Brothers' proves to be a great looking film. The music is unfortunately mediocre throughout the bulk of the picture, providing a decent if somewhat off base background to the narrative. This is hardly a hindrance though, as the best scenes have no score, and the film wraps up with a fitting piano onset. ‘Brothers’ also employs a reasonably effective use of the U2 track, ‘Winter.’ The costume design is appropriate and accurate to each character, totaling to a solid behind the scenes package.
-----‘Brothers’ is greater than its trailer seemed to allow, and even those dismayed by what is presented as a Hollywood manipulation of a serious topic should check this one out. There is perhaps the occasional narrative misstep, but the final product is also surprisingly sensitive towards its subject material. The slightly ambiguous ending to this layered story proves fully satisfying, and ‘Brothers’ as a whole manages to avoid that overly sentimental air that distracts from the realism of a film. It also manages to have a vital hint of humor, if only in the very occasional scene, which allows it to steer clear of a one-note narrative. And as should be the case with such a film, its true greatness comes from its perfectly cast leads, all of whom challenge themselves here, and succeed with flying colors. It’s an especially extreme departure from typecast for Maguire, who should defy all skeptics with his performance here, and make everyone yearn to revisit the ‘Spider-Man’ films again. All in all, even those who shy away from weighty dramas should give ‘Brothers’ a chance; a film that steadily builds intensity until finally exploding in a deservedly thrilling crescendo. At times you’ll hurt and at others you’ll cheer for the people in this intriguing character study, taking every blow and living every joy. Ignore the small Box Office haul and the lack of Oscar hype and make the effort to go out and see ‘Brothers.’
-----Oscar Watch: There is virtually no Oscar hype for this film, and in December that usually means there won’t be any Oscars. This is a fallacy, because at this point in the year, Gyllenhaal, Maguire, and maybe even Portman gave performances worthy of nominations, if not for Oscars, certainly for something. Alas, Green Hat Reviews will give credit where it’s due.
|
