Brothers

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Brothers

R

2009

1h 44m

Drama

War

Mystery & Thriller

Romance

Action

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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.

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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

Jan 16, 2018

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.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 12, 2017

A

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

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Laura Kern

Film Comment Magazine

Sep 24, 2014

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

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

Jan 31, 2021

4/5

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.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Sep 4, 2020

3.0/4.0

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.

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Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

May 11, 2019

B

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

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Declan D

@filmbuffkid 1 day ago

…….honestly I have no words to express how good this film is. Everything about this film is perfect, The acting, The plot, the score, the cinematography everything is chef’s kiss. I knew this film for a while and I saw bits and pieces of the film across a couple years, and when I saw it was on prime I was like “Why not?” And an hour and a half later… I think that’s one of the greatest films I’ve seen in a long time. Like don’t get me started with Toby Maguire’s performance in this film, he is absolutely phenomenal in this role and the way that he portrayed PTSD, Depression and Emotional Disfigurement in this film is so accurate to reality, and I’m surprised that he didn’t get an Oscar for this film, he deserves that more than anyone in the 2000’s (Besides Heath Ledger) and during some moments in the film, I had to turn away. And it’s on the same level of good as “American Sniper” and It left the same impression that American Sniper left on me. Overall, it’s a masterpiece. 10/10

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Stephanie R

@Sarras Sep 26, 2026

Heavy and hard to watch at times, but really well done. Tobey Maguire was almost disturbingly convincing, and Jake Gyllenhaal was great alongside him. Definitely worth watching.

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Henry D

@Henry_Domke Sep 23, 2026

A weak script, unimpressive sets, and disappointing image and sound quality added up to a mediocre production. There were several fine actors in the cast, but they couldn’t save it. We almost quit early.

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Jared C

@RT83564857 Sep 13, 2026

I really enjoyed it. It think it's a masterpiece. Would like to see the European version that it's based on. But Tobey Maguire's performance is exceptional.

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Steven G

@DongLord69 Sep 10, 2026

This movie was phenomenal… however… it had the absolute worst ending. Kind of a let down. So good and than the last 5 minutes sort of destroyed it

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 10, 2026

Brothers = a *3* star movie!

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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

Brothers: Official Clip - Kill or Be Killed

2:12

Now Playing

Brothers: Official Clip - Sam Loses It

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Brothers: Official Clip - I Wish You Stayed Dead!

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Brothers: Official Clip - Give Me the Keys

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Brothers: Official Clip - He's Dead, Tommy

1:33

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Brothers: Official Clip - The Truth Comes Out

1:48

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Brothers: Official Clip - A Family Matter

2:18

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Brothers: Official Clip - Making the First Move

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Brothers: Official Clip - Family Dinner

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Brothers: Official Clip - Did You Sleep With My Wife?

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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, Romance, Action
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

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