Brothers

There's a lot of pretty scathing reviews here. I read some before I started this and set my sights appropriately low. Maybe that's why I kinda liked it?

There was a lot of what people complained about - inconsistent tone, crass humor, slapstick scenes, overly stupid characters doing stupid things, predictable outcome.

Yes, all of the above.

I still laughed at a lot of it. Probably because the main actors played their parts to perfection. No matter the reason, if you laugh and enjoy something, go with it and don't think about why you liked it.

This is one of those movies. Don't overanalyze it. Don't worry about what others think. Just go with the ride.

When twin brothers Jady and Moke Munger were children their mother abandoned them; fleeing the law with a bag of stolen emeralds. The boys grow up and true to the family become criminals. When a job goes wrong Jady ends up in prison while Moke goes straight and gets married. Jady manages to get out early by telling a corrupt guard, who is the son of a corrupt judge, that he can get the emeralds. Reunited the brothers find themselves of a madcap road trip to find the emeralds before the guard catches up with them.

This is the sort of film one watches once, finds fairly amusing but know won't bother watched again. The plot is simple and delivers some good laughs even if it is a bit lowbrow at times. The acting is solid; Peter Dinklage and Josh Brolin have a good chemistry as the bickering brothers and the supporting cast, which includes plenty of well-known actors is decent even if they have all been in better things. Some of the special effects are distinctly unimpressive; it is a shame too many films these days think average CGI is better than physical effects. Overall I'd say it was funny enough but is far from a must watch.

Many of the most negative reviews that have been posted here have the same keywords, the same key phrases, and criticize the same talking points, as if a single person wrote multiple reviews as a personal vendetta, for whatever reason. This movie is actually pretty enjoyable. It's an intentionally mindless farce comedy with some original ideas, great character actors, and novel plot twists. Peter Dinklage and Josh Brolin have natural chemistry and great dialogue to work with. Perhaps they were allowed to improvise some of their exchanges. Brendan Fraser plays his character perfectly, note for note, and seems to be having a great time. M. Emmet Walsh appears in a few scenes, just long enough to remind people that he is a king of character actors. It's a mindless comedy that is intentionally ridiculous, and it works.

Brothers had promise and potential going for it. Really solid cast. It started strong. The plot was interesting enough. I'm not sure if I should compare movies to generational classics, or the rest of the junk available to stream the past few years. I feel like Hollywood has never recovered from the writer's strike and it shows. This film is watchable, due to the low bar of available content. Do comedies now cater to the stupor of the low IQ majority of society? If you like low brow humor like seeing a grown man being jacked off by an orangutan, then you'll enjoy this movie. If you prefer witty sophisticated humor, you will roll your eyes a lot. I don't fault the actors. They played their roles. Dinklage is a true talent. Brolin shows range playing a believable character who isn't a tough guy with super powers. Marisa Tomei is great in everything. I wonder why she was uncredited. Fraser even pulled off the shady guard. Never been a fan of Glenn Close, but her prime was before my era. Brothers fails to draw you in. It's slow and lacks any kind of movie magic that makes you care about the outcome. You can't get invested in the characters' unrealistic plight. I'm sure the actors were desperate for a paycheck, but they're all better than this. It had its moments, and I made it to the end which is saying something I guess.

The biggest drawback of the film was simple: many of the characters in this film are hyper-exaggerated to the point where you can't take them seriously.

For example, Brendan Fraser, despite being a Hollywood icon with some seriously wonderful films under his belt, was maddening in this. His character had a cartoonish, over-the-top, somewhat childish behavior scheme that just wasn't believable.

I blame this misstep on the man setting the film's tone, director Max Barbakow. This was a massive step backwards from his most recent film "Palm Springs" which was quite enjoyable.

The relationship between Brolin and Dinklage, our titular "brothers," felt forced and, at times, dull throughout the film. Their arguments felt scripted, which is the exact opposite of what you want to feel in a film. I was never invested in their familial development because the writing never evoked those feelings with the audience. In short, the lackluster writing was only exacerbated by the sluggish on-screen chemistry.

It might be worth the watch if you've run through the many streaming catalogs available but shouldn't be at the top of your to-do list.

4/10.