The Brothers

 

 

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First, let me emphasze the extra's on this DVD. There is the "Love Don't love me" music video, deleted scenes, and LOTS of commentary by the man who directed and WROTE the script. He comments on each and every actor, why they were cast, and where he was coming from in the story he tries to tell. He gives us insight into the things men think, but not always say, concerning women and their fears of committment. The whole movie, in my opinion, centers around the concept of three of the four "brothers" being single, around age 29 and not yet married or committed. As Morris puts it, "I don't have the excuse of being young and stupid." I do notice, that there is the underlying premise that being single is NOT a valid choice, and that all single guys are just looking for a piece of a**. Not so. I do have qualms with the lead couple sleeping together on the first date. Geez. This isn't a movie for kids ok...READ THE RATINGS! The role of the Mom and Dad is wonderful. They are well cast and full of wisdom from their mistakes. The four women in this movie are, at best, a little annoying, IMO. I kinda feel sorry for the guys a bit. It seems none of the women are very humble, but cocky and manipulative to get what they want, be it their way in bed, in the relationship, or the wedding they want so desperately. It's that "ain't no man gonna get over on me" attitude. The movie brings up EXCELLENT topics, and it is filled with much humor from D.L Hugley and his wife on screen, as well as from others. This is a great movie, with great music and lots of cool stuff on the DVD feature end of it. If you are like me, get ready for heated discussion about sociology when it's finished, and enjoy every minute of it!

The Brothers tries to copy Waiting to Exhale. However that film adaptation made the same mistake this film makes: The four men do not become characters who tell their own stories; they become caricatures of types of black men we all know. These stereotypes include the misogynist, the womanizer, the family man and the nice guy who finishes last. If these are the good brothers then I'm worried. Most of these guys only cared about money, clothes, cars and sex. I wanted some dimension to their personalities that would make them into real people onscreen.
There was a great story here sadly, the writer couldn't tell it because the shallow producers decided to show pretty pictures of handsome actors wearing expensive designer clothes driving nice cars living in the lap of luxury. I wondered where the character development was. The relationships the Brothers have with the each other seemed contrived. These actors never bonded like "Brothers." There was no chemistry between them; the only thing they had in common was the paycheck they got for this film. "Brother" means someone you're very close to; I didn't get that feeling watching these four guys onscreen.
The relationships these "Brothers" have with the women in their lives seemed convoluted as well. Falling in love in this film happens overnight; there is no natural progression to the romance. Morris Chestnut's character meets Gabrielle Union in the park, in one frame they meet and the next they're in bed and in another they're in love. Their big conflict: She used to date his Father-come on! Shemar Moore's character is saying he's a reformed womanizer and is getting married after having a two-month relationship! He gets cold feet and his jilted lover comes back to attack him with a gun in the climax of the film. DL Hughley says he wants to divorce his wife for not orally pleasuring him. Bill Bellamy's character is a misogynist because his mother treated him badly. I kept waiting for the stories of these brothers to get interesting but they went nowhere at all.
I found a surprising amount of misogyny in the undertones of this movie. Why were all the women dressed in low-cut belly baring shirts? Why did the DL Hughley character feel he should divorce his wife because he wanted oral sex? Why were all the girlfriends dressed so sexy in most of the scenes? Where was the respect for the sisters? I'd like to have seen some balance in this film; show us some positive images of strong black women standing next to the images of positive black men.
I hate to give this film a bad review. I know everyone who worked on it was trying to create a positive message about responsible black men. However the whole movie comes off as shallow and half-hearted. I give props to DL Hughley, Shemar Moore Morris Chestnut, Bill Bellamy, Gabrielle Union, Tamala Jones, Marla Gibbs and the rest of the cast for their work on this film, but I really expected the writer, producers and director to do a better job with this film. Rent if you really have to see it.

Okay the movie is not fantastic, but I liked it anyway. 4 men in different stages of their relationships. I pretty much thought of the movie as a Male version of Waiting to Exhale. Jackson (Morris Chestnut) has major commitment problems. Brian (Bill Bellamy) you will eventually figure out his relationship woes are due to the relationship he had with his mom giving him his jaded views on love. Terry (Shemar Moore) finally decides to settle down, and right before the big day, he let's his commitment phobia shine through. Derrick (D.L. Hughley), is married and devoted to his family. His problem? His wife refuses to have oral sex with him, and it's causing serious isses with their relationship. The movie has some funny moment and the acting though not academy award winning was decent. I happen to love the movie and I've watched my copy a few times.

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5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!
Why? Because it was great to finally see a movie with some brothers who weren't gang bangers, had jobs, and discuss their relationships and fears/frustrations the same way women... Read more

Published on Aug 19 2003 by mediaagent

1.0 out of 5 stars Didn't like it too much
I tried to get into this movie, but it just didn't click with me mainly because I don't like Gabrielle Union. She's just not a good actress to me. Read more

Published on April 7 2003 by aaliyahlisa

2.0 out of 5 stars Tired knock off of The Best Man
On the heels of nice urban romances like Love Jones and The Best Man, here comes a tired retread of the same ground - The Brothers. Read more

Published on Jan 25 2003 by R. Harris

1.0 out of 5 stars Glorified fornication passing for a movie!!
We take turns in book and movie reviews. Here is my say on this so-called movie/dvd.

The only way to enjoy this dvd is with the sound turned completely off. Read more

Published on Jan 17 2003

1.0 out of 5 stars Please Do Not Waste your Money
Poor Acting and shallow characterers followed by a missing plot combine for a poor movie. D.L. Hugley's character is mildly entertaining, but Shemah Moore's fixation with his... Read more

Published on Nov 22 2002

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie!!!!
I am a woman so, I obviously watched this movie to see Morris Chestnut and Shemar Moore, but not only that I liked it a lot too. Read more

Published on Sep 1 2002 by LadyLestat

1.0 out of 5 stars Re-Tread Plot
There's really not much to say about this film. There were a few funny moments that had me laughing out loud, but overall the storyline itself is just awful. Read more

Published on Aug 29 2002 by Renee

1.0 out of 5 stars You're kidding me, right?
This is a waste of film. I don't know what the NAACP Image awards were thinking when they actually NOMINATED this ..against Will Smith's "Ali" for Best Film of the Year. Read more

Published on Aug 10 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Great DVD!
When I saw the promos for this movie before it was released in theatres, I knew that I would really like this movie! It's a movie that has a lot to offer. Read more

Published on July 24 2002 by Mr Doug Gordon

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful film, brilliantly acted, superbly directed.
When films aren't handed massive budgets, more effort is made to tell a story well. This is the case with "The Brothers". Read more

Published on July 8 2002 by Gordon Skene

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