Brothers

Directed by Max Barbakow, Brothers follows estranged siblings (Josh Brolin’s Moke and Peter Dinklage’s JD) as they reluctantly reunite to track down a valuable cache of hidden jewels. Filmmaker Barbakow, armed with a script by Macon Blair, delivers a watchable (albeit relentlessly erratic) comedy that benefits from the predictably engaging efforts of its two stars, as both Brolin and Dinklage offer up far-from-restrained work that goes a long way towards smoothing over the narrative’s bumps and lulls – with the actors’ entertaining efforts certainly matched by an eclectic periphery cast that includes Glenn Close, M. Emmet Walsh, and Marisa Tomei. (Brendan Fraser, cast as a hot-headed prison guard, offers up an agreeably, gleefully over-the-top performance that remains a recurring highlight within the proceedings.) And while the picture runs an appropriately brisk 89 minutes, Brothers‘ overall impact is adversely affected by Barbakow’s oddly muted approach to the material (ie the film never quite becomes as frenetic or funny as one might’ve anticipated) – which ultimately does, in the final analysis, cement the movie’s place as a decent-enough endeavor that feels like it could (and should) be a whole lot better (and more memorable).

**1/2 out of ****