SummaryBrothers tells the powerful story of two siblings, thirty-something Captain Sam Cahill and younger brother Tommy Cahill, who are polar opposites. 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 f... Read More
Directed By:Jim Sheridan
Written By:David Benioff, Susanne Bier, Anders Thomas Jensen
Brothers
Metascore
Mixed or Average
58
User score
Generally Favorable
6.9
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
58
39% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
55% Mixed
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
6% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
90
Sheridan’s actors work with their intellects fully engaged--and they engage us on levels we barely knew we had.
75
It does take half the movie before the story --really kicks in. When it does, it'll knock the air out of you.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.9
66% Positive
96 Ratings
96 Ratings
30% Mixed
44 Ratings
44 Ratings
4% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
Sep 2, 2019
10
Brothers is an incredible movie about the effects war can have on a man and how it will change them as a person. Sam (Tobey Maguire) leaves his family to go fight in Afghanistan where his helicopter crashes and he is captured by terrorists. Thought to be dead; his wife, daughters, and brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) move on without him. When Sam miraculously escapes and comes home alive, he is unable to reconnect with his family (due to what he experienced in Afghanistan and how his family has moved on). The performances are fantastic, especially Tobey Maguire. There are a few standout scenes that are absolutely riveting and heartbreaking all thanks to his performance. The overall story and message of the movie is very dark but relevant in regards to modern day war. It gave me a lot more respect for war veterans and what they fight for and have to go through.
Mar 25, 2026
9
Brutal and heartbreaking, but there is some levity in the scenes with Portman, Gyllenhaal and the kids that balance it out nicely. Everyone did a phenomenal job. A brilliant movie, but not one to watch regularly. This may be the best performance of Toby Maguire's career.
70
Bier's film succeeded on the merits of its actors, and this one offers fine performances by Portman and Gyllenhaal, but Maguire doesn't cut the mustard as the anguished military man.
58
The intrinsically powerful material occasionally pierces through.
50
Portman doesn't overact or underact; she just stands around with whatever the appropriate expression for the scene seems to be on her sweet, pretty, childlike face. If there's something going on behind that face, I neither know nor care what it is, which means that long stretches of Brothers involving her character's interiority struck me as dramatically inert.
50
This is a corny tale, told with both generous helpings of deli-sliced cheese and a brief stretch of chilling tumultuousness.
30
Sheridan, repeatedly drawn to family sagas, including his own (2002's In America), aims for Greek tragedy but ends up with a PTSD melodrama, with Maguire able to produce slobber almost as effortlessly as Portman can summon up tears--essentially all her role calls for.
May 29, 2011
6
I love the psychological side of warfare destroyer... how the mind and soul of those who back from the horror of the battlefield gets so hurt that it loses meaning, value, or family or life itself. So I loved the movie because it pulled me the drama suffered by American heroes. The performances are sensational, ALL, from the little girls that gave relief to the melancholy mood of the film, going by his father, stepmother, who took good care of their roles while supporting and especially the trio who gave a show of emotion Natalie Portman Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire.
Oct 21, 2021
5
Tbh I didn't finish that movie. Why? An ordinary plot for such films and most importantly miscast. I like Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire's acting, but in this film their characters look very ridiculous. The reason for this is a weak script in which main characters try to reveal from the words of others. I also want to say about the music, and I can’t bear to listen to this melody when there’s a dramatic moment in the film. And finally, Natalie’s performance is the best part of the movie.
Oct 9, 2022
2
An unfortunate misfire. Brother's has an interesting story to tell but is unaware of how to tell it with the movie never really saying anything. It missed its emotional marossuch as how lukewarm his reception had been when discovered alive or the relationship between the wife and the brother. Truly disappointing
Production Company:
- Lionsgate
- Relativity Media
- Sighvatsson Films
- Michael De Luca Productions
- Hell's Kitchen Films
- Hell's Kitchen International
- Palomar Pictures (II)
Release Date:Dec 4, 2009
Duration:1 h 45 m
Rating:R
Tagline:There are two sides to every family
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 2 Nominations
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 4 Nominations
CinEuphoria Awards
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
