Those of you who have seen "The Wood" or "The Best Man" will probably feel like you've already seen this film. However familiar the "Brothers" might seem, this foray into the men's view of relationships and the "C"-word (Commitment) is immensely entertaining, ever so slightly insightful, and just a whole lot of fun. The film presents a slick and highly stylized portrayal of the African American middle class world where the most paramount concern on everyone's lips is relationships, love, and more relationships. The film follows four men as they approach thirty and simultaneously come to terms with their respective romantic entanglements. In an honest effort to show all versions of this conflict, the characters represent many facets of a "man" in such a state - one is married, one is ready to get married, one is ready to be in a relationship, and one is a confirmed bachelor who desires to continue to be a player. Where the film goes wrong is showing perhaps too many sides of the story, attempting to give equal time to each "brother", their beloved(s), and their family life, thus making the over arching point that reasons behind resistance to commitment come from a variety of places. The jokes are funny and the production value is first rate. The script could have used a little help, but what script couldn't. In this case, most of the statements about "love" come across as cliches and slogans. The performances are mostly adequate. However, as the story tries to cover so many people, most of them come across as caricatures more than actual characters. Stand out performances are given by Jennifer Lewis, a truly under rated actress, and D.L. Hugley, who gives more credibility and sensitivity to his character than this viewer thought he was able. I gave it a 9 not just because I liked it, but also because I didn't dislike as much as I thought I would.
Review of The Brothers
