Movie Review: Brothers (2010)

When I originally saw trailers for this movie, I was intrigued. On the surface, the story seems simple. A man goes off to war and is presumed to have been killed. His brother falls in love with his wife. He returns and is angry. Shit hits the fan. In essence, this assumption is right, but Brothers is so much more than that.

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Tobey Maguire is decorated Marine Captain Sam Cahill, complete with a great family that includes a wife, Grace, portrayed by Natalie Portman, and two young daughters. He is getting ready to head back to Afghanistan for another tour of duty. The day before, he picks up his troublemaker brother Tommy, portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal, from jail. The two catch up, and the entire family gathers for a goodbye dinner. While stepmom is happy to see everyone together again, dad decides to shame his criminal son with his brother's accomplishments. Of course, that doesn't go well. The next day, Sam heads off and ends up in a helicopter over Afghanistan. Enemy fire comes in, and all are presumed dead. Upon hearing the news, the remaining family adjusts, and brother Tommy takes an active role in the family as any good uncle would. He cleans up his act, and he and Grace become close. I won't reveal the extent of the relationship.