Iffy for 16+
Well-acted war drama is too intense for kids.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this mature drama (which stars Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire, and Jake Gyllenhaal) about how the horrors of war affect both a soldier and his grieving family has several disturbing scenes of war, torture, and even domestic disputes -- making it far too intense for tweens and even younger teens. The war sequences involve atrocities, near-suicide, and two startling killings that are chillingly realistic; strong language includes frequent use of words like "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," and the like. Sexuality isn't too graphic, but there are a few passionate kisses and one shot of an obviously undressed, quilt-covered couple in bed.
- Families can talk about how war (both the Vietnam war and the war in Afghanistan) affects the Cahills. Did Sam really have a choice in what he did? The movie doesn't judge him, but what do you think?
- How is grief portrayed in the movie?
- Discuss how both brothers deal with their actions. How do their decisions and approaches differ?
The good stuff
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Messages: Despite the devastating effects that war has on Sam and his family, his family remains supportive and loving. The movie explores how war and violence change soldiers and their ability to return to their lives as fathers and husbands.
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Role models: Grace, Sam, and Tommy are all realistically flawed characters. Sam commits an unthinkable act in a life-and-death situation, but he does so because he'd die otherwise and wants to return to his family. Grace and Tommy, in a moment of grief, reconnect by kissing, but they realize their error and focus on Sam when he returns. On the definite plus side, all of the characters are devoted to their family.
What to watch for
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Violence: Quite a bit of violence, especially in the war scenes thattake place in Afghanistan. A helicopter crashes; two American soldiersare taken hostage, held starving and captive, andthen tortured. A man is shot in the head; a man is forced to killanother man or be killed himself; many men are shot at and killed, etc. In a moment of fury, a character destroys his kitchen and scares hisfamily. A man points a gun at himself and looks like he's about tocommit suicide.
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Sex: A married couple kisses passionately and is shown in bed after having had sex. They exchange a few more kisses and embraces. A widow kisses her brother-in-law once. A man discusses whether his brother "f--ked" his wife, and a young girl lies that her mother and uncle "have sex all the time."
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Language: Frequent strong language: many uses of the words "f--k" and "s--t," as well as "damn," "hell," "a--hole," "goddamn," "ass," "oh my God," "dick," and more.
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Consumerism: Not an issue
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Tommy gets drunk on a several occasions, and his father is shown drinking liquor a few times. Tommy smokes cigarettes; in one scene, he and Grace share a joint.
Fan Reviews provided by
5
Best performances ever. by ConceptOneFilm
I am an independent filmmaker and I'm constantly looking for films that stand out from others. Brothers is the film I have been looking for all year. The directing was amazing! It is very hard to be able to direct the cast the way he did, and the cast took his directing to a whole new level. The acting was very heart driven and felt very real. I was hearing gasps from the audience throughout, and I can't remember fidgeting once from boredom. Some have said the plot is predictable, and it is...it's supposed to be; it's not a mystery. However, the screenwriters did a captivating job of writing Toby's part towards the end, to where the audience doesn't know what he is going to do. His every move towards the end was unpredictable. This leaves your mind to wonder how he is going to end up. Brothers gets an A+ from me, and it may take me until I'm about to retire before I ever get close to filming something like this. It got me to sign up on here just to write a review.
4
Would have given a MUST GO if...... by lovestalentmoviefan
....somebody would have taken the time to write a decent ending. Terribly anti-climatic. The only reason I do not say SOSO is for Tobey Mcguires incredible maturity as an actor shining through.From a supportive achieving brother and family peacekeeper to a man adamant about his patriotic duties to a traumatized,mentally lost POW, this man has far overcome the Spiderman image. Please go see for this.Pic was clean as well,which merits good rating. Still,not recommended for theatre price if lukewarm endings turn you off. I will see one more time.
5
Great movie, will leave you a bit depressed by Arturian
I thought it was a good movie, makes you realize what military families go through even when their family members come back from war alive.
I would rate it as "GO", but considering that we're currently at war and many soldiers come back from Iraq and Afghanistan every day, I think its important for the rest of us to at least have a slight idea what these men go through (I realize that no one who didn't serve in the military can ever fully understand the emotional toll of war)
5
Brother's review by krcolby
Very intense, great acting. Critics claim the actors look too young but the critics must be clueless about the fact that most of the US military families are indeed that young. Might be too intense for people with loved ones at war.
4
good movie! by rider4life
the story was good, it actually has a good foundation and background of how it leads up to the brother becoming the way he is. only one thing i thought they could expand on was the ending. only one brothers future is portrayed but the other brothers future is left as a cliffhanger.all in all it makes for a good movie to see...worth the price of a ticket purchase!
4
Five Word Review by blendjon
Realistic Sad Shocking Intense Shocking
5
Brothers by michaele77
This movie was GREAT! It was suspensfull, exciting, and also made me want to cry. This movie really shows you what are soldiers go through and how our goverment should take the time to make every soldier go through some kind of rehabilitation when they leave the war. They do so much for us and they, and there family deserve to live a somewhat "normal" life when they return home. Great Movie a real eye opener!!!!
5
A must see movie by fff1
The movie was very well acted , and it was of particular interest the brothers could have passed for real brothers, both in appearance and mannerisms. Wonderful casting and the actors seemed so real intense in their feelings. My only question on the predictable plot of the story - Why did the marine corp not give this mental man help after his ordeal in Afghanistan? This movie and the actors should relieve nominations for the coming awards.
4
F Off MovieWatch.Info by hiltd
Scam artists who post on fan reviews to get you to break the law by using their website so as to infect your computer with a virus. Avoid at all costs and the scum bag Kelly poster.
3
Brothers by StacySerba
Very depressing. From the trailers, it seemed more of a love story and love triangle and turned
into more of the ravages of war on s prisoner of war. Not really what I had in mind.