Menendez: Blood Brothers

Lifetime films can sometimes be good but this one was a real stinker. The entire film relied on the younger brothers' Eric Menendez dreams in the form of flashbacks to tell a one sided version of what may have caused Eric and his older brother Lyle Menendez to kill both of their parents with multiple rounds from two (2) shotguns.

In this TV version of the murders of Kitty and Jose Menendez, the younger son Eric continually dreams that he is speaking with his dead mother while trying to figure out why his mother allowed his father to continually sexually abuse him, and he is torn between his guilt for aiding his brother Lyle in murdering their parents in cold blood, and his undying love for his dead parents.

After watching this version of the film one can only come to the conclusion that Eric and Lyle Menendez murdered their parents to end years of sexual abuse by both of their parents. The court documents are factual and the brothers first trial ended in a mistrial. The second trial the judge restricted both the evidence and the witnesses that could be presented which was Eric's lawyers entire defense and as a result both brothers were sentenced to life sentences without a chance for parole.

This certainly was an abbreviated version of the two trials and one would also think that the brothers were railroaded and that no one believed in their sexual abuse defense. Nothing could be further from the truth. The prosecutors proved beyond a shadow of any doubt that Eric and Lyle planned the murders (purchasing their shotguns weeks in advance using a friends stolen ID card without his prior knowledge) and tried to hide their sloppy crime of pure greed for their parents wealth.

This version was far too much "dream sequence" and simply just ignored the magnitude of facts for fictional dream sequences that painted a distinct visual picture of sexual abuse which purportedly justified the murders. If you want to see a better version(s) of the film see either the 1994 version Menendez: A Killing In Beverly Hills, and/or the 2017 eight (8) part mini series titled: Law & Order True Crime.

Menendez: Blood Brothers is brilliant. I was obsessed with this case growing up. I love that this story gave us something to ponder, what if they were telling the truth? It raises so many questions.

The acting is stellar. Courtney Love is great but Myko Olivier is outstanding in his role as Erik.

Great script and incredible directing.

seek it out on iTunes.

Loved this film so much. The writing and directing were truly powerful. I was both entertained and educated, this film brought a depth of perspective about the murder that was truly enlightening. It's the best TV movie I've ever seen. And Courtney Love and Myko Olivier were exceptional actors. Bravo Lifetime!

I was disappointed with this version of the movie as it was very cheesy. Courtney Love's character as the spirit of the murdered mom popping up to speak with her sons was so unnecessary. The made for TV series from 1994 is 100% way better: Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills with Edward James Olmos and Beverly D'Angelo.

Interesting case -- the two young Menendez brothers murder their mom and dad with shotguns, inherit dad's estate, quit college, and go on a spending spree with all the cash and none of the brains of successful murderers.

Yes, a spectacular case, rendered immediately forgettable by the usual Lifetime Movie elements -- low budget, poor acting, and melodrama resembling soap opera.

There's a far better made-for-television movie, "Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills." Watch that instead because this really sucks.