Brothers

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Brothers

R

2009

1h 44m

Drama

War

Mystery & Thriller

Romance

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

63%

Tomatometer

156 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Siblings Sam (Tobey Maguire) and Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal) are as far apart as brothers can be; while Sam serves his country as a Marine, Tommy is a drifter who just got out of prison. When Sam is shot down and presumed dead in Afghanistan, Tommy vows to take care of Sam's wife, Grace (Natalie Portman), and his children. Tommy and Grace become close, and when Sam unexpectedly returns home, the consequences of their actions threaten the foundation of the entire family.

Critics Consensus

It plays more like a traditional melodrama than the Susanne Bier film that inspired it, but Jim Sheridan's Brothers benefits from rock-solid performances by its three leads.

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Ed Koch

The Atlantic

01/16/2018

Although Brothers is not a first-rate film, it informs us about the after-effects of war and is worth seeing while we wait for better ones to come along.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/12/2017

A

... subtly yet brilliantly captures one soldier's fight to end the war in his mind months after leaving the battlefield.

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Laura Kern

Film Comment Magazine

09/24/2014

Anyone fond of Danish director Susanne Bier's 2004 original should steer clear of this ill-advised though faithful remake by Jim Sheridan.

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

01/31/2021

4/5

Isn't a war movie. It's a movie about what happens after war, and in its own quiet way shows the toll war takes on not only the people overseas but those who stay home as well.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/04/2020

3.0/4.0

Bier's original film, which was a ballsier, more political and far grittier take on this story, carried with it a heavier, more universal tone.

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Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

05/11/2019

B

The entire cast is first-rate, especially Maguire, who shows a lot of range in a really difficult role.

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Donovan H.

@donnie1 Mar 9

Solid acting based on a true story about the effects of PTSD on a war hero and his family.

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Gregory M

@Gregory780 Mar 6

Well acted drama showing the effects of war on a person. This is a heartbreaking movie and some people may find this difficult to watch. Toby Maguire’s portrayal of a veteran suffering from PTSD is very realistic and disturbing. But it’s not just Toby, the entire cast (even the child actors) do a great job, there isn’t one lacking performance and the acting really elevates the movie. Overall if you can stomach the emotional scenes it’s definitely worth a watch.

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Christian B.

@EL1TEcbom Feb 24

Top 5 movie in my opinion. Tobey was amazing. The plot was fantastic, along with the writing. I really was engaged the entire time. Very sad movie.

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Jordan M

@Jmcgill89 Jan 5

Fantastic cast and even better acting from everyone involved. Tobey McGuire gave the greatest performance of his career. Love this movie!

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TheArcadeOdyssey T

@RT57543885 Nov 18

Tobey Maguire was phenomenal actor in this. Although I think the pacing of this movie could've been better. The story is very human, and the focus on psychological aspects only elevate the experience.

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Waki W

@Jason952 Oct 21

This movie was good acting and so much things about their life on what is happening during this war and such belief on things they have gone through!

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Jim Sheridan

Director

Tobey Maguire

Sam Cahill

Jake Gyllenhaal

Tommy Cahill

Natalie Portman

Grace Cahill

Sam Shepard

Hank Cahill

Bailee Madison

Isabelle Cahill

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Synopsis

Siblings Sam (Tobey Maguire) and Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal) are as far apart as brothers can be; while Sam serves his country as a Marine, Tommy is a drifter who just got out of prison. When Sam is shot down and presumed dead in Afghanistan, Tommy vows to take care of Sam's wife, Grace (Natalie Portman), and his children. Tommy and Grace become close, and when Sam unexpectedly returns home, the consequences of their actions threaten the foundation of the entire family.

Director: Jim Sheridan
Producer: Michael De Luca, Ryan Kavanaugh, Sigurjon Sighvatsson
Screenwriter: David Benioff
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Relativity, Sighvatsson Films, Michael De Luca
Rating: R (Some Disturbing Violent Conten|Language)
Genre: Drama, War, Mystery & Thriller, Romance, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 4, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 23, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.5M
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS