45/14
Emmet Walsh (Judge Farful)
Story
Two criminal twin brothers, one of whom is trying to reform, embark on a dangerous journey. Facing legal troubles, gunfights, and family drama, they must reconcile their differences before their mission leads to self-destruction. Final film appearance for actor M.
(March 22, 1935 – March 19, 2024)
Moke is forced to masturbate Samuel, a monkey, using his right hand. Shortly after escaping the animal, Moke sniffs his left hand in disgust. For some reason, genuinely funny comedies have become an increasingly rare commodity in cinema in recent years, so it’s a real treat when one comes along that satisfactorily tickles the funny bone.
The group is led by twin brothers Jady (Peter Dinklage), a career criminal recently released from prison, and Moke (Josh Brolin), a talented but long-reluctant thief now trying to go straight
Such is the case with director Max Barbakow’s third feature, a wild and wacky tale of a dysfunctional crime family trying to recover the hidden loot from a heist carried out by the family matriarch (Jen Landon) 30 years earlier. The goal is to find and recover a stash of emeralds stolen by their long-absent mother (Glenn Close), who originally stole the goods but has since been free — and who now shows up unexpectedly to collect the jewels for herself. So the unlikely trio embark on a quest to acquire the jewels, an odyssey that finds them aggressively pursued by Officer Farful (Brendan Fraser), a corrupt prison guard who has arranged Jady’s early release through his father, a corrupt judge (M.
Emmett Walsh in his penultimate screen role), in exchange for a hefty share of the stash
And along the way, the parties to this unpredictable caper blunder into a series of cleverly inspired comic challenges, including Jady’s new alien girlfriend (Marissa Tomei), Moke’s pregnant wife (Taylour Paige), and a very horny gorilla, among others. It’s also a cautionary tale about the notion that there’s no honor among thieves, even those within one’s own family. While some segments of the film are clearly a bit over the top and over the top (especially by Fraser), most of this romp comes off quite well, reminiscent of a Coen Brothers film (though admittedly not as polished).
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If nothing else, it’s at least a huge step up from the director’s last film, the utterly awful Palm Springs (2020) (my worst film of the year), and a significant improvement over many of Amazon Prime’s recent disappointing offerings, thanks in no small part to the performances of its excellent cast (especially the three lead actors). Brothers isn’t epic by any means, but it’s a good way to have a good laugh at home on a Friday night with a big bowl of popcorn, and that in itself is quite satisfying..
