The Rhino Brothers

Only hard core sports fans need watch. This is a really smart and cutting film looking at the dedication reuqired to play professional sports and the angst generated by always being one great moment shy of shining. Forget the plucky individuals who pull it together at the last minute to win one for the Gipper-Rhino Brothers takes all of those sports cliches and turns them inside out. Everytime you think you know where this story is going, it dekes you out. The ending is perfect. Loved it. Bought the DVD.

One of those interesting tiny budget films that has its problems (in this case a few sports movie clichés), but is so clearly made from the heart, nicely acted by a cast you don't know, and trying to not just follow convention that it feels like you've stumbled onto a minor gem.

This is a look at a working class Canadian family mired in obsession with hockey, the boys pushed by their obsessed mother to try to be pro players whether they have the talent, the drive or not.

We've seen films, often around boxing, that examine some of the same family dynamics, and maybe it was just the change in location, sex of parent (here, mom not dad is the slave driver) and sport itself that makes it seem new.

But I think it's really in the little details. The way these grown men can come to near blows over who plays what team on an old kid's hockey board game, or how they subvert each other on the rink and off to try to get approval and attention – in short a study of two men suffering from major arrested development that feels sad and true, and makes this admittedly 'little' picture feel like it has real value.

I was in my local drug store when I came across a DVD titled the Rhino Brothers. Being a hockey fan and player, I looked at the price tag of about 8 dollars and said what the hell. Well I got home that evening and what I saw was simply jaw dropping. The way this film conveys the world of a hockey player is dead on. It is indeed a beautiful story about the dreams that every hockey player has, and how those dreams very seldom come to fruition. And as the story is progressing and becoming more dark and twisted, you see the relationship between the brothers diminish. The acting is incredible. Will MacDonald gives us one of the greatest performances I have ever seen. He plays the role perfectly, and his character becomes simply a part of your life. Gabrielle Rose is not too shabby either with her portrayal of Ellen. Throughout the film you see her controlling personality over her children. The rest of the cast gives off solid performances, and the directing is spot on, with beautiful use of the camera. A nine out of ten. The extra star is taken aback because of A) I don't think any movie can get a ten , and B) the films hockey sequences are a bit sluggish. A fantastic film. Go and see, "THE RHINO BROTHERS"!

I don't see a lot of Canadian movies. Although I am Canadian, I find Canadian movies to be overblown and poorly produced. So when I watched The Rhino Brothers on DVD, I was prepared to be disappointed.

I couldn't have been more wrong. This movie was simply wonderful in all the right ways, great acting from everyone playing the Kanachowskis. All of them were totally believable as a small town hockey family chasing elusive dreams. The cinematography was amazing. Trust me, Dwayne Beaver KNOWS about small town life. As soon as I saw the sunken livingroom Victor's family was living in, I realized that we were witnessing something special. The story itself isn't totally 100% scot-free, some lingering questions why Stefan quit the sport he loved and why no one else could find out of what happened to his NHL career remain, and there are some very odd subplots that don't really pan out, Such as Sasha's involvement trying to get a job. But those are sort of minor quibbles, and I wouldn't mind getting this on DVD some day.

I found The Rhino Brothers in the discount bin at my local Wal-Mart. I thought it was interesting because I'm a big hockey fan (Go Blackhawks!!). Anyway, I wasn't disappointed. It's a terrific picture and I really enjoyed. Although hockey is central to it's theme, I wouldn't say that this picture is necessarily a "sports" movie. It's really more about the family and their relationships. It's kind of funny, the brother who is viewed by the rest of the family as being the least successful is really the only one who has it all together.

I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone although I'm sure all hockey fans would enjoy it most of all.