Pretty interesting cast here and I have to admit this is the first me hearing about it the remake. Jim Sheridan is directing a cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, and Natalie Portman and had made great movies led by Daniel Day Lewis (My Left Foot, The Boxer) and ridiculous movies like Get Rich or Die Tryin starring 50 cents.
Update: 11/5/09- Pulled, but new one out now!
Synopsis:
Sam is a family man who is about to embark on his fourth tour of duty. His brother, Tommy, however, is the black sheep of the family and a drifter just out of jail. When Sam’s Black Hawk helicopter is shot down in the mountains of Afghanistan, this steadfast marine is presumed dead. This places Tommy in the position to be responsible of Sam’s wife, Grace, and two young daughters, which leads to an unexpected attraction between Tommy and Grace.
While the two are still dealing with the intricate situation, Sam returns home. Carrying the heavy weight of post traumatic stress disorder, he starts suspecting that something happened between his wife and brother when he was away.
Joining Gyllenhaal, Maguire, and Portman are Mare Winningham and Sam Shepard. Brothers is a U.S. remake of a Danish film by Susanne Bier, Brodre a film that won and was nominated for several international awards both for the film itself and performances from Connie Nielsen and Ulrich Thomsen.
Brothers will be in theaters on December 4th.
Been having a bit of a Bier-fest (sorry) lately and figured one of them had to be remade sometime soon. Bier handles melodrama in a very smart way that could easily be messed up by a lesser director. I like a couple of Sheridan’s films but I don’t think he’d have the proper restraint for Brothers. I’d advise anyone to check out Open Hearts, Brothers, and After the Wedding by Bier for sure. The Danes have been pumping out good stuff lately.
I am a big fan of the Danish original so I was a little skeptical that the American version could live up to it, but it exceeded my expectations. Great direction by Sheridan and not as overly-sentimental as it might have been.