Brothers

Well, it's now official, I'm over 5000 films behind on this blog and with the way life is going I strongly doubt I'll manage to catch up......doesn't mean I won't try but damned if the task doesn't seem to be a daunting one. This being said, let's make one point about this Jim Sheridan remake of Susanne Bier's 2004 BRODRE, it is NOT a feel good film and oe should set a special block of time aside for it should they deside to give it a view. I found it odd at first they should use a Danish project to tell an American tale though when stripped bare this story is universal. By now you should know the premise, "good" brother is presumed killed in the war, supposed "bad" brother tries to help surviving family cope and "good" brother returns and the shit flies. The theme is an interesting one and I've not seem the original yet to compare but BROTHERS seems to fall short at times, much like skipping stones on a pound it seems to only touch on the emotional issues without diving in. The cast has much to do with this. Jake Gyllenhaal is our lead here as the "bad" brother and while he has a moment or two never quite brings the character to fruition which makes the work of Sam Shepard and Tobey Maguire pretty much a waste. Maguire seems miscast as well though as the film moves on we are exposed to a wicked transformation which allows him to show off his amazing acting skills and though Natalie Portman is certainly more than eye candy she is not given the chance to fully explore her role her best scene being reduced to a powerful moment involving an answering machine. Worth a peek for those of you who like their films serious but there a far meatier offerings out there for you to chew on.