The new drama “Brothers” features the by-now standard story of a soldier going berserk after coming home from the battlefield.
But “Brothers,” a remake of a 2004 Danish drama, doesn’t fall in line with other recent anti-war movies.
The stress involved in the main character’s meltdown isn’t the result of garden variety combat operations, and the film’s gifted trio of stars often rises above a pedestrian script – and predictable plotting.
But, ultimately, the film suffers self-inflicted wounds when it can’t convince us the soldier’s transformation – or the changes taking place on his home front – pass the smell test.
“Brothers” is a tale of two siblings, one a smart, responsible man who makes his family proud, the other a petty crook fresh out of jail.
Tobey Maguire, he of the slight build and whisper-quiet voice, plays an Army veteran named Sam who’s ordered back to the battlefield in Afghanistan.
He does as told, even if it means leaving behind his ex-cheerleader wife Grace (Natalie Portman) and ne’er do well brother Tommy (Jake Gylenhaal).
Sam isn’t gone long before his helicopter crashes lands in enemy territory. The Army pronounces him dead and sends the sad news along to Grace.
But he’s actually still alive and being held by Taliban-type soldiers.
Grace doesn’t know that, so she tries putting her life back together piece by piece. And that rebuilding process involves Tommy, who sets aside his youthful indiscretions to become a valuable father figure to Grace’s two girls (Bailee Madison and Taylor Geare, both excelleent).
Grace isn’t sure of Tommy’s intentions, but he proves his good will by helping her renovate her kitchen.
Talk about “Extreme Makeover.”
“Brothers” excels in capturing the smaller moments, like Grace hearing the news of her husband’s “death” and Tommy’s sweet interactions with her children.
But it’s hard to see the attraction blooming between them, and even harder to swallow why Sam comes home such a damaged man.
Yes, Sam endures more than anyone should while being held, but the melodramatic fallout just doesn’t wash.
The screenplay feels rushed, as if it knows all the bullet points but can’t be bothered to fill in the necessary gaps.
The film can’t nail the small, distracting details. Grace gives a worker toiling on her kitchen Sam’s old clothes to wear when he gets paint on his own duds. But he’s a large man and hardly in good shape. Sam’s shirt shouldn’t be able to fit over his head.
And where did Tommy get the money to pay for the kitchen renovation?
These questions don’t matter if a story is working as intended.
The leads all shine at various points in the film, and Maguire’s angular physique carries an intensity, and battle hardened appearance, to counter his natural softness.
“Brothers” doesn’t try to make grand statements about the evils of war. Any subtext is gentle and implied, and sadly buried by the melodramatic finale.
(Photo: Tobey Maguire stars as ‘Sam Cahill’ in “Brothers.” Photo credit: Lorey Sebastian)
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
If Hollywood had done even a couple of “gung ho” movies about Iraq/Afganistan, then movies like this would be accepted in the mainstream. Unfortunately, when the “war is hell” movie is the only war genre out there it becomes both preachy and boring.
Great point … isn’t there any producer out there who thinks he/she can make a few bucks out of a movie featuring heroic US Soldiers in Afghanistan (AKA the ‘good’ war)? Isn’t it worth the ol’ college try?
So…we have yet another film in the “Coming Home” template: psycho/victim vet unfit for civil society.
So…we have yet another generation of my brother and sister vets slandered.
I seem to recall that the VA did a survey some years ago of Vietnam vets and found by significant margins they were better educated, more successful, and healthier both physically and psychologically than their contemporaries; and yet the myths and slanders persist for reasons that I think are all too clear.
It’s too late for us…but I’d hoped for better for our kids.