An example of a movie trailer that does a horrible job at showing the real essence of a film.
Tonight I saw Brothers, chiefly because I didn’t have enough time to drive across town to see Precious. It is not the kind of movie I’m usually attracted to: the trailers sell this movie about two brothers, one a marine (Sam), and one a bad-boy lowlife (Tommy), engaged in a love triangle with the marine’s wife (Grace). However, I was convinced the film wouldn’t entirely bore me since it features three A-listers: Jake Gyllenhaal, Toby MacGuire, and Kate Beckinsale. When it was over, I was totally surprised and will definitely be getting this one on DVD.
Brothers is the story of a military family and the conflicts that occur when a marine essentially returns from the dead. While the plot does involve a love triangle, that’s hardly what movie goers will walk away remembering. This is not a film about romantic love; it is a film about family love and the struggles facing a new generation of war vets and their families. The film does a fantastic job of telling the story from everyone’s perspective including the children, the wife, the two brothers, and even the marine and lowlife’s father, a Vietnam vet. Filmed in Smalltown USA, (more precisely, Albiquiu, NM), Brothers could take place wherever marines are from, and I hope this film raises awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder and its effects on military families.
I love films based on real issues, such as the way Brothers uses the war in Afghanistan, and arguably, the inadequate psychological care/support our military receives after coming home (we learn MacGuire’s character is in counseling, but he nearly loses it when talking to his superior, and the climax of the movie is his armed meltdown near the end.) Films like this make us take a step back and think about the world around us, and perhaps, [subtly] encourage us to get involved. (I was a little disappointed that there was no ending message before the credits about PTSD and resources for moviegoers to help vets and their families.)
Of course, I have to ask — if Brothers is this kind of film, why was it not marketed as such? Why do the trailers and movie posters, and all creative media used to sell the movie emphasize the sultry love triangle? (By the way, I don’t want to spoil the plot, but fyi, this is hardly a true love triangle: There is no on-screen sex scene, not even a real kiss, and all the involved players quickly move on with their lives once Sam comes home.) Nevertheless, my guess is Hollywood knows the majority of moviegoers aren’t like me: They’re less interested in PTSD and way more intrigued by a love triangle featuring the gorgeous Kate Beckinsale and two leading Hollywood actors. In essence, sex sells, and this film’s marketers are eager to hide all of its other major themes and even blatantly misconstrue scenes in the trailers to emphasize romantic steam. (The two pairs of feet you see in the video above are not Tommy and Grace’s, but Sam and Grace’s the night before he leaves for war.)
I haven’t done any real research into movies involving the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (what a great project and film study by the way!), but films on these wars (or the Middle East in general) have not fared well, despite A-list talent and sometimes huge budgets: (data from boxofficemojo.com)
- In the Valley of Elah, directed by Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis and featuring big screen heavyweights Susan Sarandan and Tommy Lee Jones (Jones also won an Oscar for the film), earned a measly $6.5 million.
- Lions for Lambs stars Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, and Robert Redford. $7 million at the box office.
- Rendition, a 2007 thriller with a $50 million budget, featuring Reese Witherspoon and coincidentally, Jake Gyllenhaal earned less than $10 million.
- The Kingdom, starring Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, and Chris Cooper has earned $47 million to date, but still a disappointment considering its $70 million budget
With this knowledge in mind, perhaps the point of Brothers is to sell tickets today, and reflect on today’s modern times tomorrow.
Note: Brothers is a remake of the 2004 Danish film Brødre, which appears to be the exact same story told from a Danish point of view. I’d love to watch it and compare/contrast the two! Click here for the trailer.
Releavant links:
