Brothers

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Brothers

R

Released Dec 4, 2009

1h 44m

Drama

War

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

63%

Tomatometer

156 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Siblings Sam (Tobey Maguire) and Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal) are as far apart as brothers can be; while Sam serves his country as a Marine, Tommy is a drifter who just got out of prison. When Sam is shot down and presumed dead in Afghanistan, Tommy vows to take care of Sam's wife, Grace (Natalie Portman), and his children. Tommy and Grace become close, and when Sam unexpectedly returns home, the consequences of their actions threaten the foundation of the entire family.

Critics Consensus

It plays more like a traditional melodrama than the Susanne Bier film that inspired it, but Jim Sheridan's Brothers benefits from rock-solid performances by its three leads.

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Ed Koch

The Atlantic

Although Brothers is not a first-rate film, it informs us about the after-effects of war and is worth seeing while we wait for better ones to come along.

Jan 16, 2018

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

... subtly yet brilliantly captures one soldier's fight to end the war in his mind months after leaving the battlefield.

Rated: A

Sep 12, 2017

Full Review

Laura Kern

Film Comment Magazine

Anyone fond of Danish director Susanne Bier's 2004 original should steer clear of this ill-advised though faithful remake by Jim Sheridan.

Sep 24, 2014

Full Review

Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

Isn't a war movie. It's a movie about what happens after war, and in its own quiet way shows the toll war takes on not only the people overseas but those who stay home as well.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 31, 2021

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Bier's original film, which was a ballsier, more political and far grittier take on this story, carried with it a heavier, more universal tone.

Rated: 3.0/4.0

Sep 4, 2020

Full Review

Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

The entire cast is first-rate, especially Maguire, who shows a lot of range in a really difficult role.

Rated: B

May 11, 2019

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Peter S.

Great movie and i enjoyed

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/07/25

Full Review

Everything M

A good film which portrayed the PTSD caused by war perfectly. The storyline was decent. Not really a lot to say about this film without major spoilers but I would definitely suggest it. Casting was by far the best thing from this film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/05/25

Full Review

Abdullah A.

Brothers deals with grief, guilt and post-war trauma in somber subtlety. The drama is understated but echoes. Superb performances from the trio esp Maguire. His “I’m drowning, Tommy” line delivery haunted me. Brothers isn’t a movie about what happens to soldiers in war, it’s about what happens to them when they return home. 9 out of 10.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/03/25

Full Review

Horror fan 4

What a great movie about the trauma soldiers face while fighting battles and its effects on them when they return home. Great performances by Maguire and Gyllenhaal. Tim Treakle

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/30/25

Full Review

Cian S

The cinematography was perfect, the perspective switches were smooth, and the acting is amazing by an all star cast. Toby Maguire is typecast in a lot of things but I was shocked and impressed by his ability to emulate a perfect person diminished into a ghost of a man going through extreme psychological horror, it was shocking. The details behind the war situation are limited but the gist is 9/11 tensions with the middle east and the focus is on the experience of the characters. Honestly, the insights and performances in this movie are on point and it's a well done film that should be appreciated for what it is.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/06/25

Full Review

Ritvik M

Only recommend to your worst enemies. This is so saddening especially for couples with husbands who are coming back from war. Disgrace

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/28/25

Full Review

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Jim Sheridan

Director

Tobey Maguire

Sam Cahill

Jake Gyllenhaal

Tommy Cahill

Natalie Portman

Grace Cahill

Sam Shepard

Hank Cahill

Bailee Madison

Isabelle Cahill

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Synopsis

Siblings Sam (Tobey Maguire) and Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal) are as far apart as brothers can be; while Sam serves his country as a Marine, Tommy is a drifter who just got out of prison. When Sam is shot down and presumed dead in Afghanistan, Tommy vows to take care of Sam's wife, Grace (Natalie Portman), and his children. Tommy and Grace become close, and when Sam unexpectedly returns home, the consequences of their actions threaten the foundation of the entire family.

Director: Jim Sheridan
Producer: Michael De Luca, Ryan Kavanaugh, Sigurjon Sighvatsson
Screenwriter: David Benioff
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Relativity, Sighvatsson Films, Michael De Luca
Rating: R (Some Disturbing Violent Conten|Language)
Genre: Drama, War, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 4, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 23, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.5M
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS