MyMovies
It's been an interesting couple of weeks in the life of Tobey Maguire. Dropped from the latest Spider-Man film, the ...
It's been an interesting couple of weeks in the life of Tobey Maguire. Dropped from the latest Spider-Man film, the franchise that made him a star, he also received his first ever Golden Globe nomination recently. In Brothers, Maguire shows he is worthy of the awards attention and that Peter Parker has outgrown his Spidey suit.Maguire plays Sam Cahill, a decorated Marine with a loving wife (Natalie Portman), two adorable daughters and proud parents. He also has a brother, Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is his polar opposite; a drunken, shambles of a man to whom we are introduced as Sam collects him from prison.However, when Sam goes missing in Afghanistan and is presumed dead, Tommy takes on the responsibility of being a paternal figure to his nieces. His usually frosty relationship with his sister-in-law, Grace, also begins to thaw as the two spend more time together. They are not aware, though, that Sam is being kept alive as a PoW. Subjected to atrocities that threaten to rob him of his humanity, Sam is eventually rescued from his hell. Yet, things aren't so simple on his return - he is suspicious of his wife and brother's relationship and begins to drown in his sea of personal trauma.A powerful and gripping film, Brothers is simple, effective storytelling that is elevated by the strength of the performances. The three leads are all excellent, despite the relatively sparse dialogue. Gyllenhaal and Portman share moments of real chemistry, while no mention of this film is complete without acknowledging the brilliance of young Bailee Madison and Taylor Geare who play Sam's daughters.Still, this is Tobey Maguire's film; the actor so closely associated with the all-American web-slinger comes of age with an intense and emotional performance. His transformation from caring dad and war hero to broken man is perhaps complete when his angry reaction at the dinner table echoes a scene from the beginning when it was his volatile brother who was the outcast of the family. The first half is maybe too eager in getting through the plot, but director Jim Sheridan has still created a terrific drama that will leave its mark on audiences.
Read full review
Press Association
All's fair in love and war. In Jim Sheridan's English language remake of Susanne Bier's celebrated Danish drama Brodre, love ...
All's fair in love and war. In Jim Sheridan's English language remake of Susanne Bier's celebrated Danish drama Brodre, love is war as two siblings - polar opposites - are divided by their deep bond to the same woman. Like the original film, Brothers is distinguished by emotionally raw performances and an escalating tension as the characters' underlying rage and guilt gradually bubble to the surface. Shrugging off his Spider-Man costume, Tobey Maguire is a revelation as a soldier haunted by his experiences at the hands of the enemy, whose deep psychological wounds threaten to tear his family apart. Jake Gyllenhaal plies roguish charm as the black sheep of the family and Natalie Portman is in sparkling form as a doting mother, desperately searching for affection in the midst of grief. Depressingly, scenes set in Afghanistan are just as relevant today as they were five years ago when Bier's picture collected numerous awards on the festival circuit. Tommy Cahill (Gyllenhaal) is released from prison, having served his time for armed robbery. He begins to rebuild his life by re-establishing links with his parents Hank (Sam Shepard) and Elsie (Mare Winningham), who have always shown preference to his golden boy brother, Sam (Maguire). The first few days are difficult and Hank makes no bones about flaunting his admiration for Sam, a well-respected captain in the Marines, who is about to embark on his fourth tour of duty. However, Tommy gets to prove his worth when Sam is dispatched to Afghanistan and his helicopter is shot down over enemy territory. With his sibling presumed dead, Tommy lends his support to Sam's beautiful wife, Grace (Portman), and her two daughters, Isabelle (Bailee Madison) and Maggie (Taylor Geare). Over time, Tommy and Grace grow incredibly close but their mutual attraction, which spills over into a single kiss, is quickly extinguished when Sam is found alive, having been held captive and tortured by the Taliban. Denials of an affair fall on deaf ears and it is only a matter of time before Sam declares war on the people he holds most dear. Brothers is an accomplished distillation of Bier's superior 2004 film. Performances are exemp, lary across the board, including a terrific supporting turn from youngster Madison as the daughter who resents her father's return and screams with tear-filled eyes, "I wish you'd stayed dead!" Maguire and Portman don't convince as childhood sweethearts but her on-screen chemistry with Gyllenhaal simmers nicely, especially in the pivotal scene where they flirt while enjoying a joint and listening to U2. "I took you for more of an 'N SYNC fan," giggles Tommy. Like the war in Afghanistan, which creates divisions in the Cahill household, there is no swift or neat resolution to the characters' ordeal. The casualties are high.
Read full review
