Once Brothers (2010)

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The biggest problem of this film is that is completely one-sided. While Vlade Divac is very much alive, Drazen Petrvic is very much dead, so we hear only one side of the coin. Divac, who appears as a friendly, jovial guy was indeed someone who mocked Petrovic's country and did throw the Croatian flag to the ground, and in a Lakers/Nets game did foul Petrovic in anger. So, now, 20 years later it's easy going down memory lane without admitting any guilt. Is he pretending to wonder what happened or is this a genuine blindness to one's own appalling behavior. Furthermore, the film doesn't present the political situation in a hysterically accurate way. The violence and breakup of Yugoslavia where masterminded by Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic in his quest for greater Serbia. Divac never acknowledges that...he simply regrets the war. If he was truly a great man, he would have apologized for his behavior and admitted shame for the behavior of his country.

horribly sad ending DON'T show they doing CPR on the corpse!I've seen quite a few of the films from the "30 for 30" series from ESPN and must say that "Once Brothers" might be the best film among them. However, I warn you that you might want to keep a Kleenex handy, as this is a pretty sad one.The show is about the rise and fall of the Yugoslavian basketball program in the 1980s and 90s. It's hard to believe now, but at one point, they were among the best teams in the world--a real powerhouse. In fact, the team was so good that the NBA took notice--and drafted some of the top Yugoslavian players--including Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoc and Drazen Petrovic. The story then becomes more interesting when the Iron Curtain falls--and Yugoslavia starts to disintegrate due to ethnic and religious divisions that have been simmering for centuries. Once friends, Divac and Petrovic would not even talk after that, though they had been best friends. Divac had offended Petrovic and the gulf between them was enormous. Then, the story takes an even darker turn.If you want drama, then this is for you! Just don't expect a happy ending--which makes sense, as well over 100,000 died during the civil war in Yugoslavia. A sad, horrible time...and a really gripping show.

Great documentary. And the perfect thing was that it was made by people that weren't and aren't from ex Yugoslavia. Once the most powerful sports country in the world. Which traces could still be felt in its former republics, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia... This documentary was made by a completely neutral producer and director. It is a fantastic and a sad life story that was told in a brilliant way. Why is war hell, what it does to you and your once brothers... Amazing and huge metaphor. Not to mention that it captures first return of Divac to Zagreb after the Yugoslavian war. Petrovic is a legend, and even for the people who never heard of him or never followed basketball and NBA, this documentary craftily tells the story and the back story. His father Serbian, and his mother Croatian, I can't even imagine what he went through during the war. I'm so happy that someone made this, it just had to be made! Brotherhood among people has no borders. No space for nationalism and racism. Once brothers, always brothers!

30 for 30: Once Brothers (2010) **** (out of 4) Here we have yet another incredibly strong entry in ESPN's 30 FOR 30 series. This one here takes a look at the friendship between Vlade Divac and Drazen Petrovic as the two quickly rose to fame playing for the Yugoslovian National Team. They would eventually win a silver medal during the Olympics and both men would find their way to the NBA but their friendship would crumble after a war broke out in their country. During a national game Divac ended up doing something that would haunt him for the rest of his life and Petrovic would end up getting killed in a car wreck before the two could make up. It's funny but I've become a major fan of this series and most often the ones I'm worried about end up being some of the best episodes. That's certainly the case here because ONCE BROTHERS is a heartbreaking look at what war can do to someone and it also shows how precious moments can be lost in the matter of seconds and how one could end up going through life regretting something and not being able to make up with that one person close to you. The story of these two men was a very interesting one but the most fascinating stuff deals with the war and how it ripped them apart. Not only do you see the bloody battle that was going on in the country but you also realize what it could do to people living thousands of miles away. I thought the film did a wonderful job at showing the struggles the men were going through and this includes pressure put on them by their friends. Divac would end up having a very long career in the NBA but his friend would be killed just as he was starting to show his talent. The twists and turns in their story is something you'd laugh at or call unbelievable if you saw it in a movie but the final moments of this thing are incredibly touching even if they might have been set up. Either way, ONCE BROTHERS says a lot about friendship and, as Divac put it, the years it takes to build a friendship and the seconds it takes to destroy it.