Gabrielle Union, Tamala Jones, Susan Dalian
Screen Gems
2001
Rated: R
Now on video and DVD
“Refusing To Exhale.” Four best friends, four brothers...each questioning ladies, love and life when one of them gets engaged.
Terry White (Moore) is a reformed womanizer. Determined to grow up, he announces his engagement to Bebe (Dalian), much to the shock of his three best buds.
Brian Palmer (Bellamy) believes women are more trouble than they’re worth and there isn’t a sister out there who deserves him. He also thinks Terry is making a huge mistake and that his upcoming marriage will break up The Brothers.
Derrick West (Hughley) did the right thing by his pregnant girlfriend, Sheila (Jones)...he married her. Three years later, he’s grown to love her and his family very much, but he doesn’t feel the relationship he shares with his wife is intimate enough.
Jackson Smith (Chestnut) desperately wants intimacy, but not commitment. His parents failed marriage has made him reluctant to give his heart. His fears tend to chase women out of his life. Then he meets Denise (Union), a freelance photographer who views the world differently and isn’t so easily scared off.
The Brothers is a fun, no-holds barred look into the male psyche. Candid, course and completely hysterical it draws a line in the sand between men and women and dares the other side to cross over. The spotlight in this ensemble piece focuses on Jackson and his relationship woes, but each man’s trials and tribulations are brought to the screen, affecting those around them. It’s real, it’s raw and often times raunchy. (Just as you’d expect a movie from the male’s perspective to be.) In particular, D.L. Hughley’s Derrick, lends the movie it’s biggest lewd laughs when he tries to convince his wife she needs to prove her love.... As for the cast, it’s outstanding from top to bottom. Morris is a heavenly discovery and Jenifer Lewis is a strong and sassy scene stealer as his mom. While The Brothers may refuse to exhale, this reviewer found this funny and frank film a breath of fresh air. I give it three and a half hearts for being loaded with laughs, but lighter all around on romance. Now I’m off to see if my husband will give me his last bite of pizza. (Watch the movie and you’ll understand....)
CAST
Morris Chestnut as Jackson Smith
D.L. Hughley as Derrick West
Bill Bellamy as Brian Palmer
 |
 |
