The Brothers McMullen

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The Brothers McMullen

R

1995

1h 38m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

40 Reviews

60%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

When you're a good Irish Catholic, you choose one person to be with for the rest of your life. But how can you be sure you've found "the one"? Each of the three brothers McMullen turns up a different answer to that question in this warm-hearted romantic comedy about the reality of true love and familial bonds. "The Brothers McMullen" is not about flash or style; it's about the basic connections people pursue every day as they struggle with family, relationships and personal identity.

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Critics Consensus

Like many twenty-somethings, The Brothers McMullen can be a tad self-absorbed, but they're still likely to win you over with their (slightly profane) charm.

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Manohla Dargis

Spin

While seriously lacking in polish, Burns's debut has an edge on most of its big-ticket competition thanks to its bright dialogue and a couple of sweet performances, including one by the writer-director himself.

Dec 27, 2022

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

This is not a "religious" film, and the brothers are far from saints. But they know right and wrong, and in their imperfect ways they are struggling to attain a state of grace. Sometimes they slip. Sometimes they don't struggle so hard. Life's like that.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Mike Davies

Birmingham Post

A small but engaging, amusing and often touching story that will strike many a chord, whatever your religion, nationality or sibling relationship.

Mar 29, 2024

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Quentin Crisp

Christopher Street

A self-absorbed picture.

Apr 25, 2022

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Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

The cheapo production values don't hide its rare ability to capture human nature.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 2, 2022

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David Sterritt

Christian Science Monitor

The acting and scripting are too uneven for either the drama or the comedy to gather much steam.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 29, 2019

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Stephen C

Funny in 1 hour and 38 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Some Sexuality and Language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $9,100,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/01/25

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Dennis H

Maybe the single most overrated movie of all time.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/30/25

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Steve D

The characters did not engage me at all.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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maggie p

I've always liked this movie! Great indie from that era!!!!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

I had the opportunity to interview one of the actors in this film, Michael McGlone, and the anecdotes he told on this film are incredible. The film is to be enjoyed with the family and have a good time with food and beer with your friends, I love this story and the performance of the pretty boy McGlone, is incredible, good job to the director Edward Burns for this genius.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is barely a single star. If I could rate it lower I would. Really bad acting and terrible story. One actress that played Audrey was so awful we laughed. And how many references did they need to remind us that they were Irish.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

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Edward Burns

Director

Jack Mulcahy

Jack McMullen

Michael McGlone

Patrick McMullen

Edward Burns

Barry

Connie Britton

Molly McMullen

Maxine Bahns

Audry

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Synopsis

When you're a good Irish Catholic, you choose one person to be with for the rest of your life. But how can you be sure you've found "the one"? Each of the three brothers McMullen turns up a different answer to that question in this warm-hearted romantic comedy about the reality of true love and familial bonds. "The Brothers McMullen" is not about flash or style; it's about the basic connections people pursue every day as they struggle with family, relationships and personal identity.

Director: Edward Burns
Producer: Edward Burns, Dick Fisher
Screenwriter: Edward Burns
Distributor: Fox
Production Co: Videography, Brothers McMullen Productions, Marlboro Road Gang
Rating: R (Some Sexuality|Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 9, 1995, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.1M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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