Customer Reviews

The Brothers

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

When I saw the promos for this movie before it was released in theatres, I knew that I would really like this movie! It's a movie that has a lot to offer. A stellar cast, interesting storyline, drama, comedy and everything in between. It deals with the dynamics of four guys and their struggles with relationships from being single to being married. On the DVD side of things, this movie is entertaining enough to be able to watch over & over again, and not get tired of it. This is the most important thing when actually buying & not renting a movie.
If you like movies that deal with interpersonal dynamics with a little humour & drama thrown in, this movie will definitely not disappoint.

This movie was one of the best movies I've seen this year. I was very much pleased with this one. Especially seeing Shemar breaking out of the Soap Opera's and into the movies, showing his true talent. This movie definitly will be coming home to me and taking a spot right along side my other favorite movies "The Wood", and "The Best Man".

I was bored one night so I flipped on HBO and found out this movie was on. So I watched it and now I have up in the pentheon of movie greats. My favorite character is Jackson because he's cool and someone that most of us guys can relate to. He is also responsible and consciensous and the man that everyone can count on. His parents count on him despite their divorce, his sister counts on him even though she just graduated, and his friends count on him because they have problems and they know Jack always has their backs. But what happens when Jackson runs into a serious problem of his own which is finding out his girlfriend Denise dated his father? And who does he turn to when he breaks up with Denise and later regrets it? The answer is his three friends Derrick, Brian, and Terry. Together they set out to help one another with the problems they encounter such as Derrick's impending divorce from his wife, Brian's bad luck with women and his family crisis, and Terry's reservations about marriage along with what Jackson has to deal with. They are known as "The Brothers", four close friends who stick with each other and help each other out through thick and thin. Morris Chestnut and others shine in this feel good story about love, happiness, and all that other s***.

I'm only giving this dull, silly flick two stars because of the gorgeous Morris Chestnut. This friends coming of age theme has been done to death, and has been handled far better in other flicks than it is here. Ostensibly, this film is about 4 upwardly mobile young black males and their relationships -- with women and each other -- but most of what we see is flexing and preening and a lot of chit chatting without enough story development. How does Jack go from jumping in the bed with Denise the first day that they meet, to being on the verge of making some type of committment? How long ago had she dated his father? How long were they dating? The other relationships are not nearly interesting enough to comment on, but I will say that Bill Bellamy was particularly loathsome. Ugh! There are few things worse than bitter, self-hating dudes. And a whole subplot about the lack of head? Tres tacky.

This movie is weak, and one of my greatest complaints is that the audience is not given any sense of how much time is supposed to have elapsed. One minute, Jack's parents are divorced, but still getting it on on the DL, but somehow they wind up getting remarried. Terry dumps his fiance 2 weeks before the wedding, but they manage to stay together. Puhleeze. It does have its funny moments thanks to the hilarious D.L. Hughley, but I was disappointed in the overall product.

And finally, why is it that Black films have to be so extreme? We either get the hood flicks filled with povert and despair, or the buppie flicks where everyone is gorgeous, professional, paid and shallow. How about something about the bulk of us who are somewhere in the middle?

Memo to Hollywood: no more Black wedding flicks please. Some of us have exhaled and are ready to go the next level. There is more the life than chasing tail, obsessing over relationships and hanging with the fellas/girls. I'd love to see some of that on the big screen.

The Brothers tries to copy Waiting to Exhale. However that film adaptation made the same mistake this film makes: The four men do not become characters who tell their own stories; they become caricatures of types of black men we all know. These stereotypes include the misogynist, the womanizer, the family man and the nice guy who finishes last. If these are the good brothers then I'm worried. Most of these guys only cared about money, clothes, cars and sex. I wanted some dimension to their personalities that would make them into real people onscreen.
There was a great story here sadly, the writer couldn't tell it because the shallow producers decided to show pretty pictures of handsome actors wearing expensive designer clothes driving nice cars living in the lap of luxury. I wondered where the character development was. The relationships the Brothers have with the each other seemed contrived. These actors never bonded like "Brothers." There was no chemistry between them; the only thing they had in common was the paycheck they got for this film. "Brother" means someone you're very close to; I didn't get that feeling watching these four guys onscreen.
The relationships these "Brothers" have with the women in their lives seemed convoluted as well. Falling in love in this film happens overnight; there is no natural progression to the romance. Morris Chestnut's character meets Gabrielle Union in the park, in one frame they meet and the next they're in bed and in another they're in love. Their big conflict: She used to date his Father-come on! Shemar Moore's character is saying he's a reformed womanizer and is getting married after having a two-month relationship! He gets cold feet and his jilted lover comes back to attack him with a gun in the climax of the film. DL Hughley says he wants to divorce his wife for not orally pleasuring him. Bill Bellamy's character is a misogynist because his mother treated him badly. I kept waiting for the stories of these brothers to get interesting but they went nowhere at all.
I found a surprising amount of misogyny in the undertones of this movie. Why were all the women dressed in low-cut belly baring shirts? Why did the DL Hughley character feel he should divorce his wife because he wanted oral sex? Why were all the girlfriends dressed so sexy in most of the scenes? Where was the respect for the sisters? I'd like to have seen some balance in this film; show us some positive images of strong black women standing next to the images of positive black men.
I hate to give this film a bad review. I know everyone who worked on it was trying to create a positive message about responsible black men. However the whole movie comes off as shallow and half-hearted. I give props to DL Hughley, Shemar Moore Morris Chestnut, Bill Bellamy, Gabrielle Union, Tamala Jones, Marla Gibbs and the rest of the cast for their work on this film, but I really expected the writer, producers and director to do a better job with this film. Rent if you really have to see it.

First, let me emphasze the extra's on this DVD. There is the "Love Don't love me" music video, deleted scenes, and LOTS of commentary by the man who directed and WROTE the script. He comments on each and every actor, why they were cast, and where he was coming from in the story he tries to tell. He gives us insight into the things men think, but not always say, concerning women and their fears of committment. The whole movie, in my opinion, centers around the concept of three of the four "brothers" being single, around age 29 and not yet married or committed. As Morris puts it, "I don't have the excuse of being young and stupid." I do notice, that there is the underlying premise that being single is NOT a valid choice, and that all single guys are just looking for a piece of a**. Not so. I do have qualms with the lead couple sleeping together on the first date. Geez. This isn't a movie for kids ok...READ THE RATINGS! The role of the Mom and Dad is wonderful. They are well cast and full of wisdom from their mistakes. The four women in this movie are, at best, a little annoying, IMO. I kinda feel sorry for the guys a bit. It seems none of the women are very humble, but cocky and manipulative to get what they want, be it their way in bed, in the relationship, or the wedding they want so desperately. It's that "ain't no man gonna get over on me" attitude. The movie brings up EXCELLENT topics, and it is filled with much humor from D.L Hugley and his wife on screen, as well as from others. This is a great movie, with great music and lots of cool stuff on the DVD feature end of it. If you are like me, get ready for heated discussion about sociology when it's finished, and enjoy every minute of it!

Likeable film about 4 men who go through the trials and tribulations of relationships. Call it "Waiting to Exhale" with testosterone. Morris Chestnut and DL Hughley give performances good enough to redeem the film of its predictable script. So why the 4 stars? Because the DVD is packed with a decent bunch of extras! We get a nice running commentary by the director, deleted scenes, a featurette, a music video, and, of course, the trailer for this film and other Sony releases. The best of these features is the "Conversation with Director Gary Hardwick." He gives a very informative look at the movie; this guy is so laid back and down-to-earth, he looks like he could be your next-door-neighbor. So if you've already seen the film and liked it, you should definitely pick this one up; the wealth of features make it more than a worthy purchase.

A funny, smart look at the ongoing battle of the sexes. The cast is strong and works together flawlessly. I found it refreshing to see a movie where you got the male point of view on relationships without making these men look stupid or the women being so aggressive that you could not like them.

I saw this movie years ago and found it almost forgettable. I say 'almost' because there was one theme in it that for whatever reason I couldn't forget; because it was kind of goofy. The 'piece of food' gesture, where you just know he cares abotu you if he gives you the last piece of pizza, chicken wing, cookie, piece of cake, etc. Real words to live by....

The Amazon recap captures it pretty well. 4 yuppies come to terms with relationships and family issues. Morris Chestnut plays the lead with unresolved issues with his father that spills into his relationship with the new woman of his dreams (played by Gabrielle Union). Bill Bellamy's character has a problem with women in general, and then there's the one that's getting married. Finally, DL Hughely rounds out the cast as someone that's already married, only he struggles to get his wife to give... a different form of intimacy. There are some funny moments, some interesting twists and it's not a negative movie.

Spoilers follow: After seeing the movie again, I must admit that I found it more entertaining - but in a bad way. It almost flows like a poorly written novel loaded with cliche's. The worst? Let's be honest here - one character had wedding jitters. And he was probably a little dumb with the way he talked to his fiance. But did it really warrant, no matter how stupid he may have been, for her to run over to the house, in her wedding dress, and pump it full of bullets? They went ahead with the wedding but c'mon! The only 'committment' needed there was her and a psychiatric ward. Maybe him as well since he went ahead and married her... Heaven forbid he refuses to take the trash out one night; his morning coffee might be laced with cyanide - assuming he lived to see the morning light. So that's one example of the ridiculous spots in the movie, and that was perhaps supposed to be the climax. If beyond entertainment it's about relationships as well, it's a type of movie that would make me think: "You know, maybe it's less stressful (and not to mention healthier) being single." So this movie has 2.5 stars, rounded up to three because it wasn't terrible. It just wasn't that good either. If there are absolutely no other movies available to watch or th eones that are happen to be significantly worse, then check this out.

It's about four good looking and professional Black men. "The Brothers" is what they call themselves collectively. Each has a story around them. One falls in love for a woman who dated his dad. She's reluctant to tell him this even as their relationship deepens. Another is angry at Black woman and bad-mouthes them. It's because he's hurt about how his mother treats him. The third is a guy who plays the field and been with so many women that when he announces he's is going to marry the one he's with now, "the brothers" are shocked. One thing he doesn't like about her is her gun. The last is married and has a little girl. He wants his wife to try something different in bed, she doesn't want to calling it "nasty". They both get stubborn over this issue and causes a lot of tension between them.