Tobey Maguire is definitely not Peter Parker in BROTHERS. But I’d rather hold my reservation about him getting nominated because although he may have gone through some drastic physical and emotional changes for this role, as much it is nothing like any gig that Maguire has done before, BROTHERS just seems… too over the top in my book. The plot doesn’t do much in developing the strong connection between Maguire’s and Gyllenhaal’s characters as brothers, it’s more of a love triangle gone psycho.
Shipped out to Afghanistan, Sam is presumed dead when his Black Hawk helicopter is shot down in the mountains. At home in suburbia, the Cahill family suddenly faces a shocking void, and Tommy tries to fill in for his brother by assuming newfound responsibility for himself, Grace, and the children.
But Sam is not dead; he and a fellow soldier have been captured by Taliban fighters. In Afghanistan’s harsh, remote Pamir Mountains, Sam is subjected to traumas that threaten to rob him of his very humanity. At the same time that Sam’s sense of self is being destroyed overseas, Tommy’s self-image is strengthening at home. And in the grief and strangeness of their new lives, Grace and Tommy are naturally drawn together. Their longstanding frostiness dissolves, but both are frightened and ashamed of the mutual attraction that has replaced it.
When Sam unexpectedly returns to the States, a nervous mood settles over the family. Sam, uncharacteristically withdrawn and volatile, grows suspicious of his brother and his wife.
It appears that a vicious cycle or karma has taken place. The hard to please, tough love believer father, well played by Sam Shepherd admittedly went through some psychological trauma after the Vietnam war and seriously took it out on his family, he desperately wants that to not happen to his son Sam (Maguire) but carrying guilt or a secret can be too much to bear and there’s more to Sam’s situation that what his father may have dealt with.
BROTHERS is a Danish remake with screenplay by David Benioff who brought us The Kite Runner and sadly X-Men Origins: Wolverine. So the story for BROTHERS isn’t always on top of its game, it’s got heavy concept and you can understand the motivation behind each action but it’s hit and miss.
Sam accuses his wife Grace (Portman) of sleeping with his brother Tommy (Gyllenhaal), he’s too stubborn to accept the truth because to him, the fact that Tommy has fixed his kitchen and made changes in his house is somewhat of a violation as strong as an affair. He does the unthinkable over in Afghanistan just to get back to his family, mixed up with all that guilt and frustration, he comes home not knowing how to process everything with a healthy mind, and so he pulls the same stunt his dad did, he takes it out on his family.
On the other hand, Benioff’s screenplay falls short in convincing us that Sam and Tommy were ever brothers at one point because even their conversations tend to start and end abruptly, they can be summed up with just “you’re my brother”. Or maybe it’s director Jim Sheridan who intends on just going straight to the jealousy, frustration and anger already. He just assumes that it’s cardinal rule that when there are two brothers, one is bound to be the favorite while the other is the black sheep. Any more connection between them would be when Sam holds a gun to Tommy’s face.
Explosive performance by Tobey Maguire. Just like Hulk, you wouldn’t wanna be around when he’s angry. At times, Maguire can be a walking ghost, creepy and unpredictable. But then again, Maguire doesn’t give what other actors like Christian Bale could do just as well or even better. There’s nothing new with yelling and spitting and crying if that’s all he’s got.
The little daughter Isabelle played by Bailee Madison surprises me. Bailee’s acting is so mature for her age, good for Bailee but it’s just too damn far-fetched for a ten year old character to express such soap opera-esque emotions.
Overall, I think BROTHERS has a potential if handled differently.
* Place the cursor on the image below to check my grade for this film
