Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Three Brothers

      PG Released Feb 19, 1982 1h 53m Drama List
      100% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 57% Audience Score 500+ Ratings After the death of their elderly mother, three estranged brothers -- a judge, Raffaele (Philippe Noiret) ; a counselor for troubled boys, Rocco (Vittorio Mezzogiorno) ; and a laborer, Nicola (Michele Placido) -- return to their family home in the south of Italy to mourn. Life has been difficult for the men, and they spend time in deep thought, contemplating how their progressive ideals have been lost to injustice and the various compromises they've made for their careers and families. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

      View All (5) Critics Reviews
      Dave Kehr Chicago Reader Not Rosi's best, but still an important film by a major talent. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com A touching, if sometimes downplayed portrait of grief framed by malcontent, Three Brothers remains a resonant late period master work from Francesco Rosi. Rated: 3.5/5 Sep 11, 2020 Full Review Diego Galán El Pais (Spain) The movie is interesting for its meaning in the Italian cultural world, but it doesn't capture the usual spirit of director Francesco Rosi. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 23, 2019 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 4/5 Jun 18, 2005 Full Review Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice Three Brothers shows how societal violence is a toxin in the lives of these characters. Feb 4, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (12) audience reviews
      william k Beautifully shot family tale with an excellent cast of top-notch actors is obviously meant, with its multi-level narrative, as fable for life and society in Italy. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review William L Three brothers that have conveniently each taken different paths in life that reflect key societal points - religion, law, and labor - reunite upon the death of their mother to reflect upon the choices they've made, both personally and in the context of a changing Italy, and to think about how they can best move forward to achieve the idealistic goals they have each set. There are commentaries on personal development and morality in the face of shifting political landscapes and the inspiration for change instigated by witnessing death, which are paired with more conventionally human themes, often explored by the simple grief shared between the elderly, world-wise grandfather Donato, and his young granddaughter. But any subtlety or power that the film might have had is done away with in the final minutes, as Mezzogiorno's Rocco (a religious social worker) gets his chance at a fantastical future in the style of his brothers, at which point we're rewarded with a montage of children sweeping a desolate street full of guns, drugs, and money into a pile to be burned. It's laughably terrible, worse than anything Nancy Reagan put out to show in public schools in the '80s. While often well-shot, the film is a bit too sentimental and traditional to deliver much in the way of impact. (2.5/5) Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/31/21 Full Review S R 1001 movies to see before you die. Some interesting Italian culture, but beyond that this movie was not one that resonated with me. It was well made and I did not lose interest, but I do not plan to see it again. RUS. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/04/23 Full Review Audience Member The one where three brothers mother dies and they all come back for the funeral. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member This film was quite a downer. It portrays a family dealing with the loss of a mother and a wife. As it moves through the traditional Italian grieving process, we see the men left without the woman who helped them in so many specific ways. I was particularly moved by the husband who had lost his wife of so many years. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member un amaro ritratto dell'Italia alla fine degli anni settanta, fra sogni di fuga e impegno civile. Si sente (forse anche un po' troppo) la mano di Tonino Guerra Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      88% 80% The Last Metro 100% 60% Tell Me A Riddle 90% 82% Reds 94% 85% Missing 85% 65% Tex Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Photos

      View All Three Brothers photos

      Three Brothers

      Three Brothers (1981) Three Brothers (1981) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis After the death of their elderly mother, three estranged brothers -- a judge, Raffaele (Philippe Noiret) ; a counselor for troubled boys, Rocco (Vittorio Mezzogiorno) ; and a laborer, Nicola (Michele Placido) -- return to their family home in the south of Italy to mourn. Life has been difficult for the men, and they spend time in deep thought, contemplating how their progressive ideals have been lost to injustice and the various compromises they've made for their careers and families.
      Director
      Francesco Rosi
      Screenwriter
      Francesco Rosi, Tonino Guerra
      Distributor
      New World Pictures
      Production Co
      Gaumont
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      Italian
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Feb 19, 1982, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Mar 10, 2017
      Runtime
      1h 53m