Movie · 2009 · Drama, Thriller, War · 1h 45m · R · English
Curator score: 4.4/10 (465.9K ratings)
There are two sides to every family.
Overview
When his helicopter goes down during his fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan, Marine Sam Cahill is presumed dead. Back home, brother Tommy steps in to look over Sam’s wife, Grace, and two children. Sam’s surprise homecoming triggers domestic mayhem.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.4/10
IMDb: 7.1/10
Letterboxd: 3.50/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 63%
Metacritic: 58
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
Jim Sheridan
Production
Lionsgate, Relativity Media, Sighvatsson Films, Michael De Luca Productions, Palomar Pictures, Mandate International
Cast
Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Sam Shepard, Mare Winningham, Bailee Madison, Taylor Geare, Patrick John Flueger, Clifton Collins Jr., Carey Mulligan, Omid Abtahi, Navid Negahban, Ethan Suplee, Arron Shiver, Ray Prewitt, Rebekah Wiggins, Carrie Fleming, Jenny Wade, Sheila Ivy Traister, Chad Brummett
Curator Review
Verdict
A tense, emotionally bruising family drama that works best as a study of grief, trauma, and suspicion under pressure. The war-homecoming setup gives it real dramatic propulsion, and the performances are strong enough to carry the melodrama.
Best for
viewers who like domestic dramas with thriller elements
fans of trauma-and-recovery stories
audiences interested in moral ambiguity and family breakdown
people who want strong acting over tidy plotting
Skip if
you want a clean, twist-driven thriller
you dislike heightened emotional melodrama
you prefer war films focused on combat rather than homefront fallout
you need a consistently subtle or restrained tone
Overview
Brothers is less interested in battlefield action than in the emotional wreckage war leaves behind. Jim Sheridan stages the story as a pressure cooker: grief, guilt, jealousy, and fear keep shifting the balance inside one family until every conversation feels like a threat. The premise is melodramatic, but the movie commits to it with enough seriousness to make the tension land.
Worth noting
The cast does most of the heavy lifting. Tobey Maguire is especially effective as a man unraveling under impossible circumstances, while Jake Gyllenhaal brings warmth and volatility to the brother who steps into the vacuum. Natalie Portman gives the film its emotional anchor, even when the script leans into obvious beats.
Bottom line
It is not a subtle movie, and some viewers will find its emotional turns a little blunt or overcooked. But if you respond to intimate family stories that use genre tension to expose deeper wounds, this is a solid, often gripping watch.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Bailey (3★) · 3421 likes
natalie why you marry tobey when jake is right there.....
Noah Kern (2.5★) · 2472 likes
MY DEAD BROTHER CAME BACK TO LIFE AND WENT CRAZY!?!?!! (NOT CLICKBAIT)
nathan (2.5★) · 2459 likes
tobey maguire overreacted..... i think we'd ALL sleep with jake gyllenhaal
marcus2345 (4★) · 2448 likes
It really fucking pisses me off when they kept dodging the question even tho they didnt actually fuck. Like why make it sound suspicious for no reason thats fucking stupid
jess (3.5★) · 1568 likes
your friendly neighborhood spider-man goes ape shit