The Brothers McMullen (1995)

Thanks for the memories!

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Three Irish Catholic brothers from Long Island struggle to deal with love, marriage, and infidelity.This film definitely has the feel of a 1990s independent movie. That is meant as a compliment. Edward Burns may not have received as much attention as Kevin Smith or Quentin Tarantino, but he still made an impact with this film and won at Sundance. Like the other two, he drove the film home with dialogue -- always the way to go on a limited budget.The story itself is not that interesting, but the interactions between the brothers is. They have different views on their Catholic faith, which affects how they handle their relationships. And, as is often the case, love and passion tend to have a stronger pull than religion when put to the test.

This follows three Irish Catholic McMullen brothers' relationships. It's five years after their mother went back to Ireland with another man after the death of their father. Jack McMullen (Jack Mulcahy) is living in his parents' home with his wife Molly (Connie Britton) but he is lusting after his brother Barry's flirtatious ex Ann (Elizabeth McKay). Molly is pushing for children. Barry (Edward Burns) is anti-commitment until he meets Audrey (Maxine Bahns). Patrick McMullen (Michael McGlone) is struggling with his Jewish girlfriend Susan (Shari Albert) who seems to be pushing for marriage. He has a better relationship with friend mechanic Leslie (Jennifer Jostyn).It's always interesting to rewatch an old movie and realize it has a future star. Honestly, I don't recall Connie Britton in her film debut. I do remember Edward Burns and Michael McGlone. The acting is surprisingly good considering its indie nature. The story is basically the three brothers' relationships. Following three relationships does split up the attention and lowers the tension. The cinematography and style isn't much and it holds back the movie a little.

I came from the same area where Ed Burns grew up and I recognized the house and the street plus the church shown in the movie. The Long Island Rail Road station was Gibson. It brought back a lot of good memories. The movie captured much of the essence of the times and the neighborhood. I loved it. The characters seemed to be just like the people living there. I know many of the actors were from the area though I did not know them. His father being a NYPD Sergeant and his Mom working in the JFK Airport were indicative of many of the people living in this area. The Irish factor was also a sign of the area. My father was also Irish and worked as a Policeman in the same town where the film was shot. Great work. I am so appreciative of the movie.

I wound up watching the movie by accident and it turned out to be an experience much like passing road kill: It's so horrid you can't look away.And because it was so awful, I thought it might be fun to read a few reviews of it (reading reviews of bad movies is somewhat cathartic; you watch something awful and then let someone else vent about your wasted time....). What I found here was somewhat unbelievable. Somebody actually thought it had some redeeming features. It doesn't.This film did not just have a surfeit of uninteresting characters who spoke extraordinarily turgid dialogue (one character says to the other "I don't think we should see ONE ANOTHER for awhile...." Nobody, really nobody, ever says ONE ANOTHER except in church.) It was also woodenly acted, nonsensically directed and had a plot so boring I kept switching to Tony Robbins infomercials for excitement. Shoestring budget or not, there's no excuse for inflicting this kind of movie on the paying public. Okay, I didn't actually pay to see it because it was on Bravo, but I paid my cable bill and that should count for something.Bottom line is that this movie isn't funny, isn't sad, isn't thought provoking and isn't interesting. It is annoying.