Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- grim
- harrowing
- intimate
- serious movie night
- war film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film emotionally forceful and well acted, especially praising Tobey Maguire, while some considered its direction heavy-handed and its melodrama overwrought.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sam returns from captivity emotionally detached and increasingly consumed by suspicion and psychological distress.
Tommy’s attempt to support Grace and the children becomes entangled with Sam’s belief that his brother and wife have betrayed him.
The film repeatedly shifts attention from Afghanistan to the Cahill family’s damaged household after Sam is presumed dead and then returns.
Sam’s imprisonment and the Cahill family’s life at home unfold as parallel narrative strands that illuminate each other.
Films like Brothers, and why
The Hurt Locker
shared war trauma, domestic strain, and psychologically intense performances
In the Valley of Elah
shared post-deployment trauma, family fracture, and moral anguish
The Deer Hunter
shared captivity trauma, returning soldier alienation, and bleak family drama
The Messenger
shared sibling rivalry, wartime trauma, and emotionally volatile domestic conflict
Movie Details
- Director
- Jim Sheridan
- Release Date
- 2009-12-02
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (4040)
Cast
- Tobey Maguire
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- Natalie Portman
- Sam Shepard
- Mare Winningham
- Bailee Madison
- Taylor Geare
- Patrick John Flueger
- Clifton Collins Jr.
- Carey Mulligan
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Brothers about?
- A presumed-dead Marine returns from captivity to a family changed by his absence and a mind ravaged by wartime trauma.
- What is Brothers like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Brothers as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Brothers violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Brothers as brutal.
- What did critics think of Brothers?
- Critics broadly found the film emotionally forceful and well acted, especially praising Tobey Maguire, while some considered its direction heavy-handed and its melodrama overwrought.
- Which films are like Brothers?
- Films with a similar feel include The Hurt Locker, In the Valley of Elah, The Deer Hunter, and The Messenger.
- How long is Brothers?
- Brothers runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Brothers?
- In United States, Brothers streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
