Of course, with a title like "Brothers", we know the movie will surely be about both brothers, and the fact one of them is said to be dead doesn't make sense. At first. I sure wasn't prepared for what happened next to Sam, and it was really hard to watch, even if it wasn't that graphic. This was balanced by an almost normal life back at home, with some humorous moments. In fact, it was a little too normal. After some time had passed, it looked like everyone was coping quite well. Did they even miss Sam? Well, the situation is not simple at all and what happens later is hard to watch but to be expected. And I wondered how it could end. There was almost an ending that we wouldn't have liked, and the movie didn't so much end as stop. Yes, this happened. So what comes next? We can only wonder, but for now, this is something we can live with.
The attitudes of the enemy are understandable, and the actors are effective, but there are a number of moral questions. There isn't really an attempt to resolve these, but survival is the objective.
Tobey Maguire does an amazing job and, yes, I read some comparisons to his Danish counterpart. That doesn't matter as this is the movie I saw. Though he did seem kind of young to be a captain. A fine, upstanding marine and family man, dedicated to his country and serving with honor, and determined not to do anything wrong, no matter what. Until he can't. And then, it's a matter of coping.
Jake Gyllenhaal offers a contrast, a man who has made mistakes and is still somewhat of a loser who will never please his demanding father. But his evolution is a pleasure to watch, even if it appears something unfortunate will happen as he is able to live life and improve himself. Then he really shows what he is capable of.
Natalie Portman is a strong mother who has to hold it together and manages quite well. A little too well, as I have said. And then she has more challenges when things change.
Bailee Madison is quite talented for such a young girl. I think I have heard the name, and no wonder. While most of what she and her onscreen sister do is fun or funny and light-hearted, she has some real challenges and meets them. The other young actress is quite appealing.
Sam Shepard is a father whose expectations are too high, but even he shows flaws and eventually he shows a more accepting side.
Mare Winningham gives her usual good performance. She is a little more caring and logical.
Patrick John Flueger is the other POW in Afghanistan. It's hard to watch what he goes through. And Carey Mulligan is his wife back home, who may have to face an unthinkable truth. She does okay but we know the truth and have to wonder what it will be like if she learns what she won't want to know.
And it was nice to see Ethan Suplee, who I know best in a different brother role, where both brothers were losers but he was the bigger loser. Here, his role is much needed comic relief, though he's not the funniest one of the group. I don't know which of the "three amigos" that was, but at home, we needed normal life.
I was grateful to see this cleaned up for TV, but I wouldn't recommend this at all to kids the age of those shown in the movie. If it was possible to see the movie with all the bad parts cut out, that might be a different matter, because there were plenty of kid-friendly scenes.
The music in this movie wasn't my taste at all. Maybe people who like war movies would enjoy these styles of music.
It's a worthwhile effort if you can deal with what can be quite hard to watch.
The attitudes of the enemy are understandable, and the actors are effective, but there are a number of moral questions. There isn't really an attempt to resolve these, but survival is the objective.
Tobey Maguire does an amazing job and, yes, I read some comparisons to his Danish counterpart. That doesn't matter as this is the movie I saw. Though he did seem kind of young to be a captain. A fine, upstanding marine and family man, dedicated to his country and serving with honor, and determined not to do anything wrong, no matter what. Until he can't. And then, it's a matter of coping.
Jake Gyllenhaal offers a contrast, a man who has made mistakes and is still somewhat of a loser who will never please his demanding father. But his evolution is a pleasure to watch, even if it appears something unfortunate will happen as he is able to live life and improve himself. Then he really shows what he is capable of.
Natalie Portman is a strong mother who has to hold it together and manages quite well. A little too well, as I have said. And then she has more challenges when things change.
Bailee Madison is quite talented for such a young girl. I think I have heard the name, and no wonder. While most of what she and her onscreen sister do is fun or funny and light-hearted, she has some real challenges and meets them. The other young actress is quite appealing.
Sam Shepard is a father whose expectations are too high, but even he shows flaws and eventually he shows a more accepting side.
Mare Winningham gives her usual good performance. She is a little more caring and logical.
Patrick John Flueger is the other POW in Afghanistan. It's hard to watch what he goes through. And Carey Mulligan is his wife back home, who may have to face an unthinkable truth. She does okay but we know the truth and have to wonder what it will be like if she learns what she won't want to know.
And it was nice to see Ethan Suplee, who I know best in a different brother role, where both brothers were losers but he was the bigger loser. Here, his role is much needed comic relief, though he's not the funniest one of the group. I don't know which of the "three amigos" that was, but at home, we needed normal life.
I was grateful to see this cleaned up for TV, but I wouldn't recommend this at all to kids the age of those shown in the movie. If it was possible to see the movie with all the bad parts cut out, that might be a different matter, because there were plenty of kid-friendly scenes.
The music in this movie wasn't my taste at all. Maybe people who like war movies would enjoy these styles of music.
It's a worthwhile effort if you can deal with what can be quite hard to watch.