The Brothers (2001)

One of my all time favorites.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

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. A stellar cast, interesting storyline, drama, comedy and everything in between. It deals with the dynamics of four guys and their struggles with relationships from being single to being married. On the DVD side of things, this movie is entertaining enough to be able to watch over & over again, and not get tired of it. This is the most important thing when actually buying & not renting a movie. If you like movies that deal with interpersonal dynamics with a little humour & drama thrown in, this movie will definitely not disappoint.

THE BROTHERS is a breezy, but ultimately empty flip side to WAITING TO EXHALE which chronicles the friendship between four attractive and professional African American males as they navigate through various problems regarding the opposite sex. Nothing deep or exciting here, but the cast is attractive and works to please. Morris Chestnut plays Jackson, the doctor who loves the chase but is scared to death of commitment; Shemar Moore is the engaged brother who thinks he's ready to settle down; DL Hughley is the married brother who is not getting what he wants in the bedroom; and Bill Bellamy is the attorney whose bad experiences with black females have led him to a decision to only date white women. Despite stilted direction and a paper thin screenplay, the very attractive cast makes this watchable. There is effective support from luscious Gabrielle Union as the lady with a secret Chestnut falls for and from Jenifer Lewis and Clifton Powell as Chestnut's divorced parents. Basically, the film comes off as a 90-minute rebuttal to WAITING TO EXHALE, but the attractive and willing cast make it worth a look.

The Brothers seemed like a movie with potential, following in the foot steps of past relationship orientated films like Waiting to Exhale and Love Jones. However, this film stepped up to the plate and struck out big time.Strike One: Unmotivated characters. The only character with a quarter of dimension was the character played by Morris Chestnut. The rest of the cast were a bunch of caricatures of successful men in the black community. What happen to the blue collar, hardworking black man who successfully raises his kids and sees that his children progress further in life than himself? Cynically enough, I believe that these caricatures I refer to were only created to aid in making up the two hours needed to tell such a story. The hit could've came from the writer/director's acknowledgment of great storytelling, realizing that the audience should be able to empathize with the characters, not sympathize. Poor character development and a fear of, how should I say it, "stereotyping the black community" led to the paper thin characters in this film.Strike Two: Excuse me, but the antagonist wasn't strong enough. How can you have a great story without an overwhelmingly powerful antagonist. For example, Morris Chestnut's character is held down by his cynicism towards the whole idea of committing to someone, especially after encountering his parent's unsuccessful relationship first hand. He discovers that his girlfriend was dating his father and must decide on whether he should overlook such a thing or not. I didn't see how their love was tested. It would've been better if she had actually slept with the father and despite all that, Morris Chestnut takes a chance with her regardless. No adversity and no antagonist equals lame story.Strike Three: Ha, ha, ha, that wasn't funny. The script was trying too hard to be funny. True comedy comes from an innocent attempt in not trying to be funny. All the jokes seemed staged and unreal, just like the monologues, or should I say dialogue.It's unfortunate that African-American's must rely on such films to continue working in Hollywood. I'm sorry to say but these African-American films aren't getting the job done. We need more "Training Days" (would've been nice if was written by an African-American) to show the complex nature of Black people, instead of these shallow films about highly successful, almost flawless African-Americans who biggest problem is getting his wife to give him oral sex. Out of a possible 10 I'm being nice and give this film a 4.

I thought that this was a very creative movie. The storyline was realistic and the actors and actresses played their roles well. The one disappointing thing about the movie is the fact that D.L. Hugley didn't fit in with the other actors or the storyline. I'm not saying that he's a bad actor, but that just wasn't the right role for him. Other than that, I think that this was the best black movie that I've seen so far. Being a black man myself, I'm also glad to see that their wasn't so much profanity. I must see if your into the romance-comedy genre.