BROTHERS

One of the basic questions my colleagues and I ask when reviewing a film is whether the movie is worth leaving home to see. “Brothers” is worth the trip and the price of a ticket.
So many films seem to be little more than someone turning on a camera, letting it run and about two hours later, turning it off.
"BROTHERS" is a real film, it has a story, great acting, interesting characters, compelling
scenes, which require you to involve yourself both intellectually and emotionally. Director Jim Sheridan never stays too long in a scene; he makes his point and moves on. A lesser talent would try to milk these emotional circumstances and turn this into a melodrama of the type shown on daytime television.
I can’t imagine anyone who could see this film and not be affected by the trauma of war – both in Afghanistan and at the dining room table of a returning soldier’s home; a man who endured more than a human should ever have to experience.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman, Sam Shepard and
Clifton Collins, Jr. ( a great character actor, you see often, but never know his name ), are all deserving of honors for their work. This is the real deal.