Brothers tells the story of two siblings: Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) and younger brother Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal). Sam is a Marine and steadfast family man, married to his high school sweetheart Grace (Natalie Portman), who goes missing in Afghanistan. Tommy is a drifter just out of jail who’s always gotten by on wit and charm. In Sam's absence, Tommy comforts Grace and her two children. As they grow close, Sam is found and returns home. But the experience has changed him, and sibling rivalry gets serious.
Based on Susanne Bier's film of the same name.
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Though it renders a convincing portrait of fractured family life and boasts its share of powerfully acted moments, this schematic tale of two siblings, ripped apart by jealousy, misunderstanding and unshakable trauma, plays like a more polished but less effective twin to the 2005 Danish original.
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A sudsy remake that soft-soaps its tougher inspiration. The A-list stars go for it, but are 10 years off doing the story justice.
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A smart, well-meaning project -- never quite pulls itself together. It has a vague, half-finished feeling, as if it had not figured out what it was trying to do. Which may amount to a kind of realism -- an accurate reflection of where we are in Afghanistan.
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This becomes Tobey Maguire's film to dominate, and I've never seen these dark depths in him before. Actors possess a great gift to surprise us, if they find the right material in their hands.
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Sheridan seems as conflicted as the Cahills about their virtues and failings. The underlying themes -- love, loyalty, decency, duty, honor, betrayal -- that screenwriter David Benioff will use to both bind and break this family seem to bedevil him more than inspire him this time out.
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Irish director Jim Sheridan, who has made his films in America in recent years, now delivers an American remake that hues closely to the original but loses some of its true grit.
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Despite strong performances from the leads, when it comes to pacing and power, it’s the Danish original that edges it. Still, a sturdy and affecting remake that brings a powerful story to an even wider audience.
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Mixed emotions dominated the Cahill family dinner. While welcoming one son back into the fold, the other was about to head off on a dangerous mission.
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