A reformed criminal’s attempt at going straight is derailed when he reunites with his sanity-testing twin brother on a road trip for the score of a lifetime. Dodging bullets, the law, and an overbearing mother along the way, they must heal their severed family bond before they end up killing each other.

Credits: TheMovieDb.

Film Cast:

• Moke Munger: Josh Brolin
• Jady Munger: Peter Dinklage
• Cath Munger: Glenn Close
• Farful: Brendan Fraser
• Abby Munger-Jacobson: Taylour Paige
• Judge Farful: M. Emmet Walsh
• Young Cath: Jennifer Landon
• Glenn: Joshua Mikel
• Bethesda Waingro: Marisa Tomei
• Muzzy: William Tokarsky
• Dad-Daddy: Ted Ferguson
• Avery Jacobson: Andrew Brodeur
• Mr. Swofford: Matt Lewis
• Mrs. Jacobon: Margo Moorer
• Dr. Jacobson: Gralen Bryant Banks
• Freddie Unk: Don Stallings
• Anthony: Roger Payano
• Gamma: Pat Fisher
• Young Moke: Brooks Indergard
• Young Jady: Jonathan Aidan Cockrell
• Crabcake: Nathan Hesse
• Wabi: Taylor St. Clair
• Old Security Guard: Alonzo Ward
• Paramedic: Greg Weeks
• Marisa: Samantha Binkerd
• Waitress: Suehyla El-Attar Young
• Utility Guard: Mike Howell
• Cabbie: B.J. Winfrey
• Mall Guard: Swift Rice
• C.O. Ruiz: Denise Arribas
• Samuel: Devyn Dalton
• Prison Guard (uncredited): Robert Tinsley

Film Crew:

• Producer: Joshua Grode
• Production Design: Courtney Andujar
• Production Design: Hillary Andujar
• Director of Photography: Quyen Tran
• Producer: David Ginsberg
• Costume Design: Anastasia Magoutas
• Editor: Martin Pensa
• Art Direction: Jarrette Moats
• Set Decoration: Kristen Donaldson
• Director: Max Barbakow
• Story: Etan Cohen
• Production Supervisor: Jessica Derhammer
• Stunt Driver: Kevin Waterman
• Producer: Andrew Lazar
• Producer: Josh Brolin
• Producer: Peter Dinklage
• Screenplay: Macon Blair
• Original Music Composer: Rupert Gregson-Williams
• Costume Consultant: Derek Dean
• Editor: Christian Hoffman
• Casting: Mark Bennett
• Casting: Lisa Zagoria
• Set Designer: Dominique Ariana Dawson
• Set Decorating Coordinator: Kaylee Gahagan
• Graphic Designer: Thomas Andrew Lawson
• Set Dresser: Jacob Palmer
• Set Decoration Buyer: Sara Riney
• Set Dresser: Lindsey Schnabel
• Graphic Designer: Kevin Earl Taylor
• Art Department Coordinator: Lisa Walsh
• Music Supervisor: Peter Afterman
• Music Coordinator: Jane Berry
• Music Supervisor: Alison Litton
• Music Editor: Mark Jan Wlodarkiewicz
• Script Supervisor: Diane Hassinger Newman
• Digital Imaging Technician: Michael Romano
• Makeup Artist: Douglas Noe
• Musician: Sullivan King

Movie Reviews:

• Brent Marchant: For whatever reason, genuinely funny comedies have become an increasingly rare cinematic commodity in recent years, so it’s a real treat when one comes along that satisfyingly tickles the funny bone. Such is the case with director Max Barbakow’s third feature effort, the wild and wacky tale of a dysfunctional crime family seeking to recover the hidden loot from a heist carried out by the family matriarch (Jen Landon) 30 years earlier. Leading the charge are twin brothers Jady (Peter Dinklage), a career criminal recently released from prison, and Moke (Josh Brolin), a gifted but long-reluctant thief who’s now trying to go straight. The goal is to find and retrieve a stash of emeralds stolen by their long-absent mother (Glenn Close), who originally pilfered the goods but has been on the run ever since – and who now shows up out of the blue to collect the gems for herself. The unlikely trio thus launches their quest to get the jewels, an odyssey finding them aggressively pursued by Officer Farful (Brendan Fraser), a crooked prison guard who arranged Jady’s early release through his father, a corrupt judge (M. Emmett Walsh in his penultimate screen performance), in exchange for a sizable cut of the stash. And, along the way, the parties to this wayward caper bungle themselves through an array of inventively inspired comic challenges that include Jady’s spacey new girlfriend (Marissa Tomei), Moke’s pregnant wife (Taylour Paige) and an unusually randy gorilla, among others. It’s also a cautionary tale on the notion of there being no honor among thieves, even when they’re members of one’s own family. While some of the film’s segments are obviously a little overwritten and overplayed (especially by Fraser), much of this romp plays fairly well, reminiscent of one of the Coen Brothers’ movies (though admittedly not quite as polished). If nothing else, though, it represents a huge step up from the filmmaker’s last outing, the positively horrendous “Palm Springs” (2020) (my worst film of that year), as well as a major improvement over many of Amazon Prime’s recent disappointing offerings, an accomplishment largely made possible by the performances of its stellar ensemble cast (particularly the three principals). “Brothers” isn’t epic filmmaking by any means, but it’s a good way to get some hearty laughs at home on a Friday night with a big bowl of popcorn, and that’s pretty satisfying all by itself.
• r96sk: ‘Brothers’… not the best. I wanted to enjoy it given I like those involved, but it really does fall flat and, despite a small run time, it doesn’t flow well either. Peter Dinklage and Josh Brolin are OK together, chuck in Brendan Fraser & Glenn Close and it’s a good cast… on paper.
• In reality, I didn’t sense much from any of those on the screen and they have all produced far better. You also have Max Barbakow in the directing chair, the same can be said for him as it is safe to say this isn’t the best follow-up for him after the excellent ‘Palm Springs’.