The Ties That Bind

On December 4, Lionsgate will release Brothers. The plot of the movie is pretty simple. It tells the story of two brothers, Sam (Tobey Maguire) and Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal). Sam is a marine who married his high school sweetheart Grace (played by love-of-my-life-though-she-doesn't-know-it Natalie Portman). Sam goes missing in Afghanistan and is presumed dead. As Tommy tries to help Grace get through everything, the two end up falling for each other. As it turns out, Sam wasn't dead. And when he returns, things get rocky.

I've got to admit the movie basically sounds like a rip-off of Pearl Harbor. I'm hoping that isn't the case. And, in the movie's defense, the preview looks like the movie takes the situation much more seriously. But it definitely could be. The movie is also directed by Jim Sheridan. For those who have never heard of the director, his older work is relatively decent (In the Name of the Father, In America, The Boxer), but his latest efforts have been far less impressive. Anyone see 50 Cents' Get Rich or Die Tryin'? That was Sheridan. When you put it all together, I really don't have high hopes for this one. But I'll probably go see it anyway solely because of Natalie Portman.

Here's the preview: