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As someone who was never particularly taken with Susanne Bier’s popular 2004 melodrama “Brothers” — I find Bier’s work too patly earnest to repay real emotional investment — I approach Jim Sheridan’s long-delayed remake with a measure of caution.
Judging from this just-released trailer, it seems to hew very close to the original, with added studio gloss and a gloopy background of Fray balladry that I hope isn’t in the film itself. On the plus side, Natalie Portman looks rather good, and needless to say, it’s a step up for Sheridan from the grim career nadir of “Get Rich or Die Tryin’.” (Uh, what isn’t?) Some might have Oscar-level expectations of this, given its December release date, but I’ll need to see the film to be convinced.
24 responses so far
1 7-03-2009 at 12:11 pm
Kristopher Tapley said...
Maguire obviously looks on fire, and props for using my second favorite U2 track. But I’m just left wondering, “Why, oh why aren’t you in more films, Mr. Shepard?”
2 7-03-2009 at 12:15 pm
Guy Lodge said...
Too true. Wish he’d write a few more of ‘em, too.
Sam Shepard is, always has been and always will be one of my heroes.
3 7-03-2009 at 12:46 pm
Noah said...
The trailer gives away way too much. In the original, it was nice not knowing whether or not the Maguire character was coming back.
I love Portman but I feel she’s miscast in this. She looks too damn young to be a mother of two; whereas Connie Nielsen in the original seemed quite mature and strong and there was an element of her being more mature than the younger brother. In this, it seems too much like her and Gyllenhaal are equals. But, it is just a trailer, we’ll see how the whole film is.
And “Bad” is probably in my top 5 U2 songs.
4 7-03-2009 at 12:57 pm
Guy Lodge said...
“She looks too damn young to be a mother of two.”
Can’t say I agree; considering the social context of the story, I’d say a 26-27 year-old mother of two is perfectly plausible.
5 7-03-2009 at 12:59 pm
BobMcBob said...
awful; just awful; looks like a TV movie
6 7-03-2009 at 1:02 pm
Noah said...
It’s not that she IS young, Guy, but that she doesn’t appear to have the manner of someone with two children. And considering the social context of the original movie, the Maguire character was a higher-up in the military, which would indicate a man of a certain age, which was why 30ish Connie Nielsen was cast as his wife. Of course, that could have been changed for this remake, making him a private rather than a Colonel, but I still think Portman doesn’t fit for me, as much as I love her work in general.
7 7-03-2009 at 2:09 pm
Sound Designer Dan said...
Noah what if was, say, Michelle Williams, instead of Portman?
8 7-03-2009 at 4:26 pm
Brian said...
I think this is one of the worst trailers I have ever seen.
I hope Maguire isn’t that “OMG WAR MADE ME EVILLLL” throughout the movie.
9 7-03-2009 at 4:51 pm
Noah said...
Dan, good one, I think that would work better for me. They’re around the same age, but something about Michelle Williams in that role rings truer to me.
10 7-03-2009 at 4:59 pm
R.J. said...
Really good call Dan. I absolutely love Natalie Portman, she’s never disappointed me before, but I just couldn’t believe her in this role (I know it’s just a trailer ), and yet I believe Michelle Williams would fit this role effortlessly. Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
11 7-03-2009 at 5:43 pm
Chad Hartigan said...
I’m with Bob McBob. Looks like absolute trash.
12 7-03-2009 at 5:45 pm
James D. said...
This could be nominated for Best Picture and I still would not see it. So silly.
13 7-03-2009 at 6:00 pm
Kristopher Tapley said...
I haven’t seen a film so thoroughly judged based on a trailer like this in a LONG time.
14 7-03-2009 at 6:10 pm
Noah said...
Well Kris, I’m also judging it based on having seen Bier’s original film. I thought Portman was strange casting from the start. It’s also amazing how much Gyllenhaal looks like the actor who played the same part in Brothers. With Jim Sheridan and David Benioff behind the scenes, I’m totally there, but I don’t see any reason really to remake a Bier film to begin with other than the subtitles factor; her films are quite modern and moving and entertaining.
15 7-03-2009 at 6:22 pm
Kristopher Tapley said...
Wasn’t referring to your comments so much, but that having been said, your first sentence is puzzling. Is letting the finished product speak for itself such a radical idea?
16 7-03-2009 at 6:45 pm
kmoore8435 said...
Well Kris, the comments in this thread only add to my feelings about what I said earlier this week.
I think the film looks intriguing and Maguire looks great. I’m a huge fan of Sheridan’s work, although I didn’t care for “Get Rich…”. I’ll definitely give this a look, because Sheridan knows how to get the best out of actors (50 Cent aside…lol).
17 7-03-2009 at 7:40 pm
Michael said...
As much as I like Sheridan, that is not a very good trailer.
18 7-03-2009 at 8:55 pm
James D. said...
Kris, what else are we supposed to judge it on? I have seen some trailers that misrepresent a film, but the whole premise of what we are shown of the plot looks ridiculous. That might change when reviews come out and some of my favorite critics give their take, but for now, it looks like a bad genre piece.
19 7-03-2009 at 9:13 pm
Noah said...
I see your point, Kris, insomuch as we shouldn’t judge something at all since we haven’t seen the finished product. But there is a reference point here, that being the original version of the film. So, there is a basis for judgment. If the finished film turns out to be as good as the original, I will be a happy man, but it’s impossible to pretend like there’s no benchmark when I have seen the original.
20 7-04-2009 at 12:48 am
Kevin said...
I really admired (but didn’t love) Bier’s original version and after viewing this trailer, Sheridan doesn’t seem to be tweaking too much with the set-up. Hopefully, he can inject some genuine emotional pay-off into the film and draw some good performances from the cast.
21 7-04-2009 at 2:52 am
Guy Lodge said...
“The whole premise of what we are shown of the plot looks ridiculous.”
If it’s the actual PREMISE that bothers you, check out Bier’s original, because this looks virtually identical in that department. For me, the premise was actually strong — I just thought Bier handled it in rather a glib way.
22 7-05-2009 at 2:39 pm
BobMcBob said...
Chad, check out the plethora of similar genre films that more than quadrupled their opening weekends:
http://boxofficemojo.com/showdowns/chart/?id=crimevs.htm
Those films didn’t come out that long ago, and the only reason “American Gangster” only tripled it’s budget is because of it’s enormous opening weekend.
23 7-05-2009 at 2:40 pm
BobMcBob said...
oops; I posted my comment on the wrong page
24 11-22-2009 at 5:43 am
Jim T said...
I found this. Mulligan must stop stealing scenes :p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS1jxMSCrJk&feature=player_embedded