The Brothers

I can't believe this movie has received a 5.4 on IMDb. Ratings like that make me lose trust in IMDb critics. This movie is NOT a Tyler Perry, low-quality movie and VASTLY deserves a higher rating than a 5.4! Come on now!

When I first saw this movie years ago, I was impressed. As I've caught it recently on the cable movie channels, I realized my first impression was not a fluke. This really IS a quality film. (DISH Network agrees, it gets 3 out of 4 stars on their rating system.) Funny, but not slapstick. Great acting (I have to admit I was surprised at how well the cast did, especially Gabrielle Union who at the time was a newcomer and DL Hughley whose specialty is comedy.) "Real" characters, real dialogue. Good drama. Even some unpredictability. This movie comes across as genuine and broaches the issues of relationships and friendships and even family much more realistically than does say the self-prescribed relationship flick, "Why Did I Get Married?"

Even if I hate to (at the risk of adding to the unfairly low rating of this movie), I have to offer honest criticism so that this critique can have integrity. There were some parts of the storyline that were too manufactured and soap opera-ish (enter the girlfriend who just happened to date the father of the man she's fallen in love with) and other parts that were a little too cheesy for what was otherwise a realistic, relatable expose on relationships (enter the two main characters end up together after the overused "man begs for woman back after woman has 'moved on'). Other parts wrap up a little too neatly as well, as all the characters get their happy ending, most of the conflicted characters come around and miraculously see the light, lol (like the unaffectionate mother of Bellamy's character somehow realizing the err of her ways and *gasp* hugging her son for the first time and professing her love, or Moore's character suddenly wanting to be with the woman he just essentially stood up at the alter again.)

But those knocks on the film are not significant because the film at its essence is a feel-gooder. It's not deep, it doesn't offend, it doesn't make you uncomfortable. It makes you laugh and think a little and smile after it goes off. That's what it sets out to do and the mission was accomplished. You will enjoy your movie-watching experience.

7.5

"The Brothers" is unlike many romantic comedies in recent years, which is why I'm surprised at the very, very low rating. A 4.3 with the majority of voters rating it a 1? I don't know whether people prefer the more conventional romantic fluff, which they're used to, or can't handle one that takes time for character development. And after watching the featurette on the DVD, as well as the vastly impressive commentary by writer/director Gary Hardwick, I've gained an even better understanding of the film. I gained a good enough understanding on my first viewing, but the commentary clarified everything.

Though the central cast is male, the film doesn't take on a mysogynist tone. We get the views of the men, as well as the women. And the dialogue between each sex is sharp and witty, unlike for instance the final scene from the filthy sex comedy "Whipped" where the dialogue between the females are reduced to chat about penis size.

The acting is very well done. I've never watched "Young and the Restless" (nor any soap), so I haven't seen any of Shemar Moore's previous work, but judging by his performance in this movie he has good potential on the big screen. He already has it made in the looks department. Some of my female friends wanted to this movie just because of Shemar. Well, he has a lot of shirtless scenes, so I don't think the women will be the least bit disappointed. DL Hughley is hilarious as usual. When has he not been? There's a great scene where he chats with his mother (played by veteran TV actress Marla Gibbs) at a nursing home, and she reveals that she was drinking while pregnant with him. The chemistry between them in that particular scene is perfect. Bill Bellamy (fellow stand-up comedian) is also funny as pretty much the philosopher of the group. He also gets the chance to show off his talent as a dramatic actor. On the subject of mother-son interactions, he has a nice, subtlely powerful scene where he confronts his Mom about her lack of showing her feelings around him. And in that scene, he begs her for a hug. Finally, Morris Chestnut gives another fine performance as a pediatrician/cassanova, who falls for one of his patient's sisters (the beautiful Gabrielle Union). Of course, I can't leave Clifton Powell off the list. He's great as Morris' father, who turns out to have a sexual history with Gabrielle.

Tatyana Ali showed that she has evolved as an actress, since playing Ashley Banks on "Fresh Prince of Bel Air." She has an amazingly commanding screen presence. Tamala Jones (from "Booty Call") is a good comic actress (and she's beautiful too :0), and has some funny interactions with DL, who plays her husband. That includes one where she refuses to (How do I put this in a clean fashion?) please DL orally. 'Cause apparently, "it causes cancer."

Director Hardwick modeled the four characters after the four sides of his personality. The Bill Bellamy character is a lawyer, which he is. And he has been married in the past, with the usual jitters when it comes to commitment (like Shemar's character). The movie is about friendship, commitment, temptation, love, honesty, all the things that go into a serious relationship. And it's done in a way that's funny and insightful. At points, quite moving. I like the dialogue. I like the way the actors talk like real people, and not actors maneuvered by the script like chess pieces. It all has a natural flow.

Not to sound preachy, but it's nice that every once in a while a film comes along to portray African-Americans in a positive light. How often do we see a film (directed by an African-American) where the central (black) characters are doctors and lawyers? Too often black filmmakers seem to adore subject matter involving young black males growing up in "the hood" and dodging thugs left and right. Is this really how we want black people portrayed? Better yet, do blacks themselves want people of their race to be portrayed in that fashion? Films like Hype Williams' "Belly" are one step away from minstrelsy, except minstrelsy was created by white people. And whenever a film like "Save the Last Dance" comes by, where there happens to be some negative black characters and it happens to be directed by a white person, guess which race takes the bad rap? I'm just saying blacks should make more positive movies about themselves before they complain to whites about portraying them negatively.

Now, my only criticism is the portrayal of white women. I'm sure you think I'm a racial activist by now (LOL), but I'm really not. I'm just voicing out my honest opinion. The Julie Benz character is portrayed as this subservient female who's supposed to get Bellamy (who plays her lover) a sandwich whenever she wants, pour him a glass of wine whenever she wants and do all these things, 'cause apparently white women will do anything a man tells her to do, as opposed to black women who put up a fight. Well, just like most movies about interracial relationships, we have the whole conflict, including one where Benz and Bellamy are confronted by his former lover (Angelle Brooks) who complains about white women stealing all "their" black men. Can't we have a film that comes along that treats the subject of interracial relationships well, absent of all this preachy bulls**t? And have a white women portrayed as more than a mindless ditz?

Despite that one flaw, I found "The Brothers" very impressive, very original, very funny and very entertaining. And I liked the song's theme "Love Don't Love Me" by Eric Benet. It gives the film a more upbeat tone. If you're looking for an escape from the conventional fluff of this genre, I definitely recommend this movie!

My score: 7 (out of 10)

This movie is about 4 men having difficulty to make a commitment. It is always nice to watch a movie with mostly African-American actors because even though if such a movie is only average there are still several mighty fine women to be seen like Gabrielle Union in this case. Nothing memorable but not bad for a rainy day.

It's time for a movie from the standpoint of the guys....no more should we have to sit idly by and listen to the screaming of the women telling how like dogs we are rather, we should prove it ourselves...wait, that didn't sound right. The Brothers is an entertaining movie about four friends played by Shemar Moore, D.L. Hughley, Bill Bellamy, and Morris Chestnutt. The four men get together every week to play ball and catch up on either other's lives. Unfortunately Moore is threatening to break up the group by getting engaged. The movie then goes through the every day actions and re-actions of the four. Hughley is not happily married. He does have a child but his wife...won't do certain things for him, and as a result he threatens to move his senile mother in with them. Bellamy is the ultimate player who decides he can no longer stick with the "Sista's" because they are basically crazy so he is going to try other women...read white...to see how they are. Moore is trying to catch up to what he has done out of fear of getting older and being by himself and Chestnutt is commitment phobic and fighting with the revelations that have arrived around his new girlfriend who had seemed to be getting him over his problem. The movie is very well done. It jumps from star to star with no problems in coherent story-telling. The acting is quite good and some of the supporting characters are hilarious. The movie is packed with comedy and drama however it can be a tad vulgar in some people's eyes. Overall I really enjoyed this one but would place both Best Man and The Wood above it in terms of total quality.

I'll start off by saying that this was definately worth the rental price I paid for it. The DVD was great, and I felt very satisfied with my rental. "The Brothers" was a good movie that I enjoyed while watching, but when it was over I did not have the same satisfaction that I have gotten from other films in the same genre (such as "The Best Man" or "The Wood").

For one thing, I felt at times the script was dead boring, and humor was often not used enough. D.L. was a misplaced role for sure, his "humor" did NOT shine through, which was a major trip for the film because he was supposed to be the most humorous character. Still, enjoyable roles were played by both parents, as well as the solid performances by Morris Chestnut and Gabrielle Union.

"The Brothers" of the cast all went pretty well together, and the whole basketball theme was a good background. However, "the sisters" were not a very good combination. I didn't so much enjoy their scenes together. Also the rather random discussion of rejecting their... you know what, was completely out of the blue, and it was sharply contradictary to things said both before and after that discussion. Tamala Jones was bad in this role. In fact, I really didn't like any of the female characters in this movie.

The script was not very complete at times, and there were some very random emotional scenes from time to time, like the "I need a hug" scene. Completely unnecessay! The film is wasted talent in many ways, but it still came enough together to give me a decent viewing that I enjoyed for the price. I won't rent it again though.

Interesting that as I write this review, I consider lowering my star rating because upon mental review, there are many non-satisfying aspects of this film. Still, for this I'll stick with my original rating - 6/10