Brother to Brother (2004)

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Watched "Brother to Brother" last night and thought it was excellent. A small movie shot on a small budget that packed more punch than many of the pathetic H'wood Blockbusters I've seen over the past year. You don't have to be black or gay to appreciate the artistry of this film. This is a story of a young black man coming to terms with two different prejudices, his being black, and his being gay. He meets gay writer Bruce Nugent who with other prominent artist of his day pushed the envelope of acceptance on many different levels. The flashbacks to Nugen't youth are beautifully done with period music. While it was obvious that this was a low budget film, that fact didn't take anything away from the movie. It only made me respect the makers even more for crafting such a fine film without the mega-budgets usually given to film makers. Most all of the actors did fine jobs here. Rent/buy this movie, let the studios know that there is a market for this type of film - one with heart and soul.

Uh oh! Another gay film. This time it's showing the black side. Bet your last dollar it's gonna have an unhappy ending! But WHY? With only less than a half dozen exceptions, ALL gay films have to end in death or an "addio" finale. It's like all the European Film Noir releases in the 40's, 50's, 60's, and 70's. The lead...male or female must die or ride off alone into oblivion. Why in God's name must writers, directors, and producers have the audience leave the theatre feeling depressed? After all, it's supposed to be gay...not glum. Maybe the category should be changed to a 'glum' film. A large percentage of gay relationships DO last and the couples DO ride off together into the sunset! No matter who writes or produces, he only shows the down side of gay life and gives the incorrect impression of gay lifestyle. This movie just proves my point. If you rent the DVD, take an antidepressant, for here comes another 'gay' film! This is WRONG!

I was thoroughly impressed w/ Rodney Evan's Brother to Brother. It was a refreshing coming of age story. To add a historic context was genius. This movie was bold in that it brought to light the homosexual subtext of the Harlem Renaissance. BTB was not laden w/ stereotypical imagery that often plagues Black cinema. The setting was simple, one of which we can relate. My favorite scene was the skit that included James Balwin whereby Baldwin had to defend why being gay does nothing to hinder 'the movement.' Although Evans had many concurrent themes, the movie was not over-bearing. From familial troubles to inter-racial relationships, we saw that Perry's character was multi-dimensional Kudos!

A movie about connecting modern-day gay struggles withing the African-American community with the bohemian artists of the Harlem Reniaissance. After reading some of the mixed reviews from others that have seen this film...I decided to see if for myself. What a surprise, this film has a bit of everything that was informative and entertaining. Brother to Brothers' script has minor holes and the characters need a bit more developing but the acting, flashbacks and feel of the movie compensates for the few downfalls. A big credit to those who took on a subject matter that Hollywood still cannot get right: Gay Black Men. I have not seen many films that have come close to or able to capture the real struggle of the Gay African American Community....Well done!