Preview: Brothers (2009)

Synopsis:

The brother of a war casualty moves into his wife's house to help care for her and the kids but soon discovers the mistake he made when his brother returns home having been incorrectly reported dead.

• Poster: B+

Review:

The colors of the poster are its best aspects. Giving the actors an unnaturally-brown hue while contrasting with the white background helps delineate the stark white line that separates the two sides, the presumed-dead brother on the left and the other on the right with the wife in between cut unevenly with the white line.

• Trailer: B+; B

Review:

Tense, dramatic and exceptionally well acted and that's just from the snippet of scenes presentd in the trailer. Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman all seem at the top of their game. And so good does the film look, it might very well be a contender at the Oscars this year.

This second trailer makes the film look far more traditional and a bit less interesting. It doesn't show very much more than the first trailer.

Oscar Prospects:

Depending on how well the production is received by the critics, I could see a triple crown of Oscar nominations for Maguire (in support) and Gyllenhaal and Portman (in lead). And if it goes over exceedingly well, it could even be a contender in other categories including Best Picture. But the one category I think it could do best in Adapted Screenplay, though the competition there is perhaps too strong for it to get recognized.

Release Date:

• December 4, 2009

Full Review Synopsis:

I have not seen this film.

-Wesley Lovell (July 12, 2009) Original

-Wesley Lovell (November 22, 2009) New Trailer