1. Did I enjoy it? YES
Jim Sheridan directs Tobey Maguire in what I think is Maguire's best performance so far of his career. He plays Sam Cahill, a family man who's well-liked and cheerful. A Marine about to go on his fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan, Sam welcomes his brother Tommy back home, who has just been released from prison for armed robbery. Tommy is resentful that his father prefers Sam over him, especially when his father states this at the dinner table in front of the family. Then Sam goes overseas, and his family soon receives word that he has been presumed dead from a helicopter crash. Tommy quickly steps up to the plate to support Sam's wife Grace and two girls. A romantic attraction begins to develop between Tommy and Grace just as the family discovers that Sam is not dead after all. He returns home, but after a horrendous experience involving the death of his fellow soldier and good friend Private Joe Willis, Sam is not the same man. Here's where the real drama starts and takes the movie from good to great. Natalie Portman plays Gracie and Jake Gyllenhaal plays Tommy in fine supporting performances in their own right. I liked The Hurt Locker, whose protagonist at the end of the movie also has a difficult time adjusting to real life. Brothers goes one step further, showing the guilt a man must bear when forced to murder a friend for the sake of his family.
2. Would I watch it again? YES
This was an emotional experience that I feel hit all the right notes. Not given nearly enough credit at the Golden Globes, Brothers is a 2009 film you don't want to miss.
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