Rating: 
Summary: A great story
Review: I love Ed Burns and I thought this film was good (I do like "She's the One" better) It's about 3 brothers, their lives and the reprocussions of growing up in a Catholic Irish American household in New York city.
Rating: 
Summary: coupla yuks, but mostly a clunker
Review: I'm going to paraphrase a real critic on this one only because when I read his review it was side-splittingly funny: "The men in 'Brothers McMullen' can't do so much as screw in a light bulb without putting on a Notre Dame sweatshirt and cracking open a Guinness" (Joe Queenan). Read his 'Red Lobster, White Trash and the Blue Lagoon'... but I digress.There was one great line in this movie when MacGlone's character finds out his girlfriend isn't pregnant and he won't have to make agonizing decisions about abortion and religion and whether he wants to marry the woman. He's strolling through his girlfriend's father's clothing store and says (to himself) something like, "Thank you, God. She's not pregnant. Oh thank you thank you God...... but.... will you just look at these sweaters?!?" It's a great laugh in a film that isn't full of them unless you subscribe to laughing at Irish-Catholic stereotypes for 90 minutes. I don't know a single Irish-American who has subjected himself to ethical dilemmas 24/7 like McGlone's character. Give him a hot dog on a Friday during Lent and watch him have an aneurysm. Now that would be a movie. I mean... OK! I get it! He's tightly wound Super Catholic Man. Duh! Stop pounding me over the head with it. The acting is spotty. Note to aspiring filmmakers, do not cast Maxine Bahns in any part requiring dialogue. She delivers dialogue like Downtown Furniture delivered my couch: clumsily. Her words will bang up against the door jambs of your cinematic sensibilities, will scrape the hardwood floors of your threshold for mindless drivel and will tear the upholstery from your couch of sincerity.
Rating: 
Summary: Repression is not such a bad thing.
Review: If there is one independent film that has been praised too much, and for too long, it is this film. This is the story of three brothers as they deal with life and love. Director/Actor Edward Burns really tries hard to bring out a film with some strong family values, but fails miserably. Here is the really funny part. Instead of just letting a dead horse remain in the barn, Burns counters with producing and directing the SAME movie, except this time it is called She's the One. How did this happen?
I know this is a short review, but I didn't want to bother writing down everything I disliked about this film, so I just kept it short and sweet. Overall, I say skip this film. It was pointless and drab and proved that if at first you don't succeed; release another film with a different title with basically the same plot.
BLAH!
Grade: * out of *****
Rating: 
Summary: Keepin' it real...
Review: In "The Brothers McMullen," the three grown (Irish-American) sons of an alcoholic, hilariously stupid, complete bozo of a father reunite and Do The Bonding Thing. All three have female-related issues and problems to rival those of, for example, the president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 -- what was his name again? AAANY-who, they are all forced to live under one roof for a few weeks, and must come to terms with all kinds of things. This movie is not "Terms of Endearment," however. It is funny, irreverent, and light-hearted without being fluff. The generation portrayed in this film is, in a lot of ways, the first generation of Irish Americans in their particular family to be coming to terms with the manifold social issues pertaining to the great American melting pot. One brother is having huge problems with the stringent demands of the Irish brand of Catholicism, which are uproariously exacerbated by his relationship with a nice young Jewish American Princess, who wants him to move into her house with her extended family, and go to work for her daddy in the garment district. The second brother seems to be unable to understand how nice it can be, and how worth fighting for, to have a college-educated, intelligent woman (a standout, very cool performance by Connie Britton [probably my favorite performance in the movie]) as a wife. The third brother (Edward Burns) is sort of the stereotypical Irish ne'er do well writer, who drinks too much, and fears commitment like the Black Death, but who has inexplicably attracted the unwavering love of the flabbergastingly bodacious Maxine Bahns... Anyway, I myself had an interesting viewpoint on this movie. Want to hear it? Well too bad, I'm going to tell you anyway. Watching this movie, I felt like what might have been a child of Mike McGlone's character and his non-Irish girlfriend from the first part of the movie. I saw this with my Irish American father and a couple of his brothers... It's sort of sad in some ways -- they expect me and my siblings to have a visceral understanding of many of the jokes about Catholicism, Irish drinking, etc. As the first generation in my family to be a good old American mutt, of mixed ethnicity, and having grown up in your standard white bread suburb, (okay, a Boston suburb, so mostly Irish, but still..) there were many things in this movie I couldn't have a personal reaction to. The movie speaks to the sociological issues of a family at a particular stage in the acculturation process in becoming Americans -- and a very early stage at that. I don't mean to make too huge a deal out of this, but the fact is that the Mike McGlone character -- by leaps and bounds the most conscientious brother -- is facing some very real problems in this movie, in terms of possibly giving up Catholicism, etc. Not that becoming neurotic and freaking out about them is such a hot response, but at least he is aware of them. But moving on -- this is one of those rare films that can be enjoyed by a bunch of guys with their buddies, over a case of Guiness, yet can equally be appreciated by women. No one would call this a chick flick, but women can enjoy it. As a matter of fact, because there are no explosions or car cases, or, on the other hand, no weepy emotional scenes, this movie can actually be enjoyed in mixed company, sort of like "Jerry Maguire" or "Beautiful Girls." Anyway, I enjoyed this a lot, and I recommend it to anyone. Two thumbs up.
Rating:
Summary: Erin Go Yawn
Review: So we were waiting on line at the Embarcadero in 1995 and I had reasonably high hopes - the movie seemed to have good 'buzz' as an unassuming slice-of-life comedy, marking a nice change of pace from the usual cinema offerings: Neither a big-budget assault on the senses nor a pretentious subtitled art film. Irish myself, I was intrigued by the movie's Celtic focus as well. All in all, it looked promising... and then the lights dimmed and the film started. Man, what a disappointment. To paraphrase Madame Bovary, I *wanted* to love this movie, but it simply gave me no reason to do so. Ostensibly a comedy, it offered no opportunity for laughs. (Can you remember a single punch line from the film? an arresting comic image? an improbable situation laden with wackiness? Me neither.) Ostensibly a romantic comedy, it offered no romance. (Of the three couples, one is dull, one is dim-witted, and one is downright depressing.) Ostensibly character-driven, it didn't have characters. (The roles range from simple-minded sketches to straight-out stereotypes, including a character "from the garment district" whose presence in a Spike Lee film would have drawn immediate protests from the ADL.) Ostensibly a film, it offered no plot. (What was the dramatic conflict we were watching unfold again?) And the acting! Trent Lott would be the lively one in this cast of cadavers. I realize that Burns had budget limitations, but come on - you've got to do better than just having 'that guy from the auto shop' playing Brother #3, and you need to do more than just put a coat on a guy and say he's going to play a literary agent. Hey, my mom's not doing anything this weekend, maybe she can be the female lead! Again, I realize the film had a low budget, but other directors have done much more with much less - c.f. American Movie's Mark Borchardt - and it doesn't cost *anything* to write a decent script. Ed Burns has often said he wants to be the Irish equivalent of Woody Allen. Well, his films are missing just a few minor elements - wit, dialogue, characters, plotlines, cinematography, originality, depth, and a beginning, middle and end. Once he takes care of those, he'll be fine.
Rating:
Summary: Irish Potatoes...
Review: THE BROTHER'S McMULLEN tells the story of three brothers from Long Island New York, who try to come to grips with life, their love life, and what it means to be a family. After their no good excuse for a father dies, their mother decides to leave them, so that she can be with the man she really loves. The oldest brother, Jack (Jack Mulcahy) is married, but is tempted by another woman. Patrick (Mike McGlone) is engaged to be married, but is having second thoughts about taking the plunge. Lastly, Barry (Edward Burns), is fearing he may actually be falling in love Directed by first-timer and former Entertainnent Tonight staffer, Ed Burns, this low budget comedy/drama is very good The film is another example of, what I like to call, "filmmaking on the fly" That's when you don't have a lot of money or time and limited resources yet, somehow, you manage to get the movie done. As a film school graduate, who has made a few small projects, I know a little about what Burns must have gone through, when making this film. He must have done something right though, because not only is the movie fairly "real"in its portrayals, but it won best picture honors at Sundance when it premiered there in 1995.You don't have to be an Irish-Catholic to like the film. It's themes are universal. The script also by Burns, has some funny moments, without being over the top or silly. Shot for "shoestrings and couple of pieces of lint", BROTHERS finds some way to entertain. It's a shame that almost every movie that Burns has made since 1995, plays like a carbon copy of this one. This one is the real thing though and comes recommended The DVD commentary track from Burns gives a good idea about what was like for him as a first time director Anyone who has made, or wants to make a low budget first film, should listen to this commentary, before or after you do it. The only other "extra" on the disc are a few theatrical trailers **** stars
Rating: 
Summary: If You Grew Up Irish-Catholic, You Will Be Intrigued
Review: The Brothers McMullen is supposed to be about what it's like having grown up Irish-Catholic in America, which, in the context of this movie, is supposed to be about being sexually repressed. It's an outstanding movie that everyone should see.
The movie is about the relationship of three brothers to the women in their lives and to each other. I must warn you, this is a serious romantic comedy-there's no severed limbs, exploding buildings, or sensational car wrecks. It's a quiet movie with no action. It's also a movie you can watch more than once and still be equally engrossed. The oldest brother is a high school basketball coach, but, oddly, he's very non-jock like. He's somewhat sensitive and a little thoughtful for crying out loud! And he doesn't drink enough beer for a coach. He is friends with another woman who has the serious hots for him, but he keeps turning her down out of respect for his marriage. Middle brother was engaged to a Jewish girl, but it broke up due to his own moral and emotional conflicts. Later on, he then picks up an old friendship with the Irish-American girl that grew up next door. She repairs cars in the backyard, drinks beer like the guys and has big hair to remind you she's a girl. I liked her better anyway. The youngest brother is the most likable. He hasn't been a practicing Catholic since junior high; yet, he considers himself a believer. His charismatic crudeness and way of treating woman remind me of the characters Sean Penn plays, but this guy's got better personality and looks. Both older brothers tell him he drinks too much, but I'd say he drinks just the right amount for his age and station in life! He doesn't seem sexually repressed to me, but his slightly overplayed male bluster and beer drinking might suggest to a shrink that he's keeping his true feelings on ice. At first glance I thought the McMullen family didn't typify mine--the brothers seem like libertines by comparison! But they call movies and plays drama because they're supposed to dramatize. I think the characters act out things that all of us have thought, felt, wished we'd done, experienced or observed, either consciously or unconsciously. The incongruity of values and lifestyle between the conventional straight-laced oldest brother and the carousing youngest brother was interesting. Unlike most men and unlike most Irish-Catholics, the brothers talk about all their conflicts with each other and their wives and girl friends (Otherwise, there wouldn't be a movie!). There's some funny, typically Catholic hypocrisy. Middle brother is sleeping with his Jewish girlfriend. When they go looking for an apartment together, he decides they can't live together before marriage because he's Catholic. In another scene, they are in bed together having hank-panky and he tells her they shouldn't be using contraceptives because he's Catholic. Oops. I didn't use the word sex or intercourse. Does that make me sexually repressed? Apparently, if a woman pursues a man and he's attracted to her, but he chooses to remain faithful to his wife, Hollywood considers that sexually repressed. And if a person is torn between what they've been taught is right and what their passions command, that is considered sexually repressed. I'd call it being a normal human being. I don't think the movie makers were trying to portray the youngest brother as liberated; rather, I think they were trying to portray him as another kind of emotional cripple, but I'm on shaky ground here. I thought the brothers did O.K. in their relationships to others, but I was a little disappointed that none of the brothers lacked the intellectual depth and sophistication to sort out and resolve their inner conflicts. This is the real tragedy. Unfortunately, the movie barely touches on the woman's point of view. It would make a great sequel.
Rating:
Summary: If You Grew Up Irish-Catholic, You Will Be Intrigued
Review: The Brothers McMullen is supposed to be about what it's like having grown up Irish-Catholic in America, which, in the context of this movie, is supposed to be about being sexually repressed. It's an outstanding movie that everyone should see.
The movie is about the relationship of three brothers to the women in their lives and to each other. I must warn you, this is a serious romantic comedy-there's no severed limbs, exploding buildings, or sensational car wrecks. It's a quiet movie with no action. It's also a movie you can watch more than once and still be equally engrossed. The oldest brother is a high school basketball coach, but, oddly, he's very non-jock like. He's somewhat sensitive and a little thoughtful for crying out loud! And he doesn't drink enough beer for a coach. He is friends with another woman who has the serious hots for him, but he keeps turning her down out of respect for his marriage. Middle brother was engaged to a Jewish girl, but it broke up due to his own moral and emotional conflicts. Later on, he then picks up an old friendship with the Irish-American girl that grew up next door. She repairs cars in the backyard, drinks beer like the guys and has big hair to remind you she's a girl. I liked her better anyway. The youngest brother is the most likable. He hasn't been a practicing Catholic since junior high; yet, he considers himself a believer. His charismatic crudeness and way of treating woman remind me of the characters Sean Penn plays, but this guy's got better personality and looks. Both older brothers tell him he drinks too much, but I'd say he drinks just the right amount for his age and station in life! He doesn't seem sexually repressed to me, but his slightly overplayed male bluster and beer drinking might suggest to a shrink that he's keeping his true feelings on ice. At first glance I thought the McMullen family didn't typify mine--the brothers seem like libertines by comparison! But they call movies and plays drama because they're supposed to dramatize. I think the characters act out things that all of us have thought, felt, wished we'd done, experienced or observed, either consciously or unconsciously. The incongruity of values and lifestyle between the conventional straight-laced oldest brother and the carousing youngest brother was interesting. Unlike most men and unlike most Irish-Catholics, the brothers talk about all their conflicts with each other and their wives and girl friends (Otherwise, there wouldn't be a movie!). There's some funny, typically Catholic hypocrisy. Middle brother is sleeping with his Jewish girlfriend. When they go looking for an apartment together, he decides they can't live together before marriage because he's Catholic. In another scene, they are in bed together having hank-panky and he tells her they shouldn't be using contraceptives because he's Catholic. Oops. I didn't use the word sex or intercourse. Does that make me sexually repressed? Apparently, if a woman pursues a man and he's attracted to her, but he chooses to remain faithful to his wife, Hollywood considers that sexually repressed. And if a person is torn between what they've been taught is right and what their passions command, that is considered sexually repressed. I'd call it being a normal human being. I don't think the movie makers were trying to portray the youngest brother as liberated; rather, I think they were trying to portray him as another kind of emotional cripple, but I'm on shaky ground here. I thought the brothers did O.K. in their relationships to others, but I was a little disappointed that none of the brothers lacked the intellectual depth and sophistication to sort out and resolve their inner conflicts. This is the real tragedy. Unfortunately, the movie barely touches on the woman's point of view. It would make a great sequel.
Rating:
Summary: What Can I Say?
Review: The people who criticise the film for not having a plot or storyline miss the point of this film. We watch the Brothers McMullen struggle with morality and love. It is nice to see a film that deals with love and sex on a deeper level than just love and sex. Edward Burns has a great ear for dialogue, keeping the dialogue real-sounding and never stilted. It's too bad that as a filmmaker, he has not reprised the artistic success he had with this film.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing redeeming whatsoever...
Review: There is absolutely no redeeming quality to any of the characters. Zilch. And Burns' relationship to his little hottie he finds is about as believable in real life as an episode of Baywatch; and the dialogue between Burns and his little hottie is as stiff as a board. That about sums it up.
|
