My Brother (2006)

Fantastic!

As Good As It Gets

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Isaiah Morton is a not-very-promising, aspiring standup comic who lives in Brooklyn with his developmentally disabled brother, James, whom he has been taking care of ever since the death of their mother a number of years back. Even though he is totally devoted to his younger sibling, Isaiah has recently come to resent the burden James places on his life. Desperate for money, Isaiah foolishly agrees to pull a job for a local gangster, an act that sets into motion a series of events that may well spell the end for both Isaiah and his brother.With its somewhat meandering narrative structure, "My Brother," written and directed by Anthony Lover, may not always feel as fully formed or thought-out as we would like our movies to be, but its heart is definitely in the right place and it does an effective job exploring the complications and complexities inherent in human relationships. In fact, it may well be this LACK of sophistication and slickness that makes the movie feel less contrived and more convincing in the long run. For instance, Isaiah's brief flirtation with a white woman he meets at a party is intriguing precisely because it doesn't in any way enhance the story or advance the plot. It simply feels like a scene ripped from his life, a nice piece of reality tossed into the mix to make the movie more authentic.Moreover, there are earnest, heartfelt performances by Nashawn Kearse ("Desperate Housewives"), Vanessa Williams, Christopher Scott, Rodney Henry, Donovan Jennings and even Oscar-winner Tatum O'Neal in key roles.The best scenes are those set in the past, in which a terminally ill single mother (the lovely Williams) struggles against tremendous odds to instill character and values into her two young boys, values they will desperately need if they are to survive and thrive in a world marked by poverty, racism and prejudice. The movie does veer towards the sentimental at times, but it earns its emotions honestly and forthrightly. And even though the crime drama scenes may not always be entirely convincing, it is as a family drama and a tale of total unconditional love that "My Brother" ultimately touches the heart.Incidentally, as a companion piece to this film, check out "Two Brothers," a documentary that focuses on Scott and Jennings, both young actors with Down Syndrome, and their very powerful work in "My Brother."

This movie looks beautiful. The cinematography in this movie is stunning. For an independent film to look far and above the caliber of most studio films in a testament to the raw talent of the DP. I saw this film after sitting through a long day of independent movies. Some good, some bad, all looking sup-par. Then these images graced the screen. While i'm not a huge fan of this movie as a whole, I was captivated by the visuals on screen. Excellent job. While I understand the reality that is the new digital world of films, I feel we've lost something in the way of cinematic imagery. It's nice to see there's still some artists on the rise.

I cant believe the last two comments!! If you didn't like the movie, well thats fine. Different strokes for different folks. But the comment about a White writer/ director telling a Black story is way off base and downright racist!! The comment should be removed from this board for provoking racism!! What about the Hughes brothers? They're Black/Talented, and they did "From Hell" with Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm and Robbie Coltrane none of whom are Black. And as for White directors, Jim Sheridan (Irish and white as baby powder) directed 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Trying. I think 50 could have had his pick of a number of directors, of many races, creeds, and colors. My point being is good story telling is good story telling. Its universal. And storytelling in this type of film is about conveying emotions which we ALL have, Black, White, Chinese, Portuguese, French, Purple, Green, Mauve, Whatever.You get the point!! Now as far as this movie goes. Its definitely worth seeing. Especially if you have children. Bring them. Any movie or TV show, or singer/music that conveys such a positive message of hope, LOVE, loyalty, and FAMILY is worth seeing. And as for the director. I looked him up. He actually won Numerous Emmys and was nominated for an Oscar. I think he knows a little bit about telling a great story on a big or small screen. The acting in this film is great. I can't believe how wonderful the performances from the two actors who play James (young and older) were, both of whom I believe to be developmentally disabled. This small film is a remarkable achievement. And anyone who provokes and exudes such negativity as was displayed in the last two comments is obviously angry and maybe needs some of the very qualities that this story tells us about injected into their spirit. At the very least it gave two developmentally disabled people the opportunity to show the world that they too have talent and abilities, and believe me this film did far more than just that. Hopefully this will continue to pave the way for more filmmakers to have the courage to give the underdog an opportunity in a business that is notorious for its exclusivity to mostly "marketable" individuals. Lets stay away from the angry comments people!! Judge the movie on its own merits, not your presumptions of the people behind the scenes that you know very little about !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I must say that this movie was so bad that I wouldn't even act in it. It starts out well intermixing the past and present and the plot flows but the movie is so slow and about half way through they just forget about the main plot and show the boys growing up, which is nice and sappy but not with the main plot. Then, they try to tie up loose ends really quickly before the movie ends and leave a lot open, what happened to the blonde? The characters make blatantly bad choices and the director/etc. do not explain clearly what happened, even though it's a little obvious, but, why did the one guy die at the end? Why didn't anyone else if that was the case? I was thoroughly disappointed. It looked like they just wanted to give each of these actors a whole lot of screen time with no regard for peoples time.