The Brothers

Wow i saw this movie and thought is was quite fun to watch, and then look at the ratings here and see the majority of them are ones. Serious black films get critique harder then other films because black viewers want to have a great black film. So a movie with like this with well-to-do men, exagerated characters, and lots of mood lightening humor wont win any academy awards. But thats not to say this is a bad film. Its very good at what it tries to do. This film is enjoyable whether you are white or black.

I agree with the user who said that the low rating of this fine film could be due to the fact that a number of white viewers are unused to the portrayal of black males as normal, upwardly mobile Americans. The black middle class is treated as nonexistent in real life and the focus is on economically and educationally disadvantaged members. That seems to be the image most Americans are comfortable with and find acceptable. There have been black doctors and lawyers for decades now so there is nothing unusual or new about these young men's careers or lifestyles.

Having said that, I'm glad to see black men portrayed in a normal, honest, and introspective light. We've all known young men like this but as females, we weren't privy to their private conversations. It is refreshing to know that they have worries, problems, and as many insecurities as their female counterparts and feel comfortable enough to voice them with each other.

It felt good to hear another "brother" chiding one of his friends for always referring to women as bitches, and pointing out that there was something wrong with HIM, not the women he was attempting to demean. I also liked the fact that Jessie let Brian know that ALL women expect good treatment and respect from a man and that she was no more willing to put up with his shallow, immature behavior than a black woman would. I don't think she was a ditz at all and she didn't take any mess from Judge Carla either.

Maybe one day soon we can have a movie about middle class black people without making a big deal over their race and view it as just a middle class "people" movie.

All of the "brothers" learned something about themselves and grew as men and individuals.

I thought Jenifer Lewis was exceptional in this part and I'm not even a fan. She was so convincing that I actually believed she was Louise. She was a strong, outspoken female who was a good wife and mother. She fought for what she wanted. She wanted her husband back and she got him too - and even got "ole boy" to have a second wedding at that! I found Jackson's parents relationship more interesting than his and Denise's. I was rooting for the mom and dad to get back together and I really didn't care if he and Denise did.

This is a very funny and heartfelt movie that uses every urban movie cliche of the last 20 years but still wins based on good performances by its cast. D.L. Hughley and Bill Bellamy are particularly good and both extremely funny. Bellamy plays the "player" but ends up sad and kind of lonely as the film moves on. Morris Chestnut is always good in dramatic roles and this is no different. "The Brothers" works and is enjoyable even if we've seen most of this before.

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

I think this was a great movie. I think it depicted positively things that are happening now to Black people. I also think that it was not a men's version of Waiting to Exhale. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought that Morris Chestnut played his role superbly. It was a nice role for D.L as well. I think that more could have been done with Bill's character but overall I was quite pleased with the result of this movie.