The Brothers McMullen

Amazon.com

Edward Burns's debut film as an actor-director makes a virtue of its limited budget in the same way John Sayles's The Return of the Secaucus 7 did in 1980. Stuck with limited technical means, Burns wisely puts his energies into a sophisticated story, knowing an audience couldn't care less about lighting problems if they're caught up in a terrific, character-driven movie with good actors. The tale concerns three adult brothers (Burns, Jack Mulcahy, Mike McGlone) whose complications in love and problems with commitment are rooted in their common experiences in a violent, loveless family. Burns has a hang- loose style that keeps the film from getting drunk on intense drama. He sets up the emotional backdrop and lets the characters' lives speak for themselves. Moreover, this is a filmmaker who enjoys life too much to spread any more misery; Burns delights as much in the things that aren't necessarily good for people--illicit lovers, castration anxiety, too much time with one's family, too much beer--as those things that are. The results are frequently very funny. --Tom Keogh

Description

After their good-for-nothing father dies and their mother leaves to be with the man she really loves, brothers Jack, Barry and Patrick are left with only each other as they struggle with their own relationships. Married Jack is tempted to have an affair; Patrick isn't sure his fiancée is "the one"; and Barry can't deal with the fact that he is actually falling in love.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Film........2007-07-14

I love all of Ed Burns' films. This one is a must have
for your DVD collection. You really feel as though you
know the family in this film. It sweeps you right up and
keeps your attention until the end.

A good "How to" of Irish-Americans.......2007-06-27

I saw this movie when it first came out and liked how it was able to present Irish-American men in a different way than most Hollywood movies. For once, there wasn't the big fight scene, no "Danny Boy", no bad accents. Also, it presents soem of the same issues as the book "Limbo," namely guys who grow up blue collar but who end up in white collar jobs and how they still have blue collar values and thought processes and dealing with the people now referred to as "Bobos" ie: the upper middle and upper class with their code words and informal rules that most of don't have a clue about. I liked the movie and could definitely relate to many of the stories presented here.

I hate talk fests, especially this one...........2006-12-08

I really don't like talky films. They are rarely cinematic, and just come across as an extended TV sitcom. The Brothers McMullen is just dull, dull, dull. The film is way too long, mainly because the conversations are just so BORING. Burns is a good actor, but he's not a very good director. He has no sense of composition. Burns is a poor man's Kevin Smith, in that Smith has no sense of composition either, but Smith's dialogue is much more livelier than Burns's ever will be (I'm not a huge Smith fan, either). I really don't understand why people loved this film as much as they did, and why critics acted like it was the Citizen Kane of its era. If you really want to see decent talkfests, watch Clerks or some of Richard Linklater's films. Richard's films do maintain interest because the talk is interesting at least (but not always successful). Don't waste your time.

Close But No Cigar.......2006-11-21

My true rating is more like 3.4 The good side of Burn's film is its low key, breezy humor, and its convincing world of Irish male characters (Burns and McGlone are especially effective) On the debit side is its stereotypical view of Catholicism, which takes away from the otherwise natural flow; and its fanatasy view of women characters who are too often cringingly compliant and in the case of the Bahns role almost too attractive for comfort (great that five women get sizeable roles, but not great that theirs are less complex than the three brothers they are made to be so AVAILABLE for)

Repression is not such a bad thing. .......2004-09-26

If there is one independent film that has been praised too much, and for too long, it is this film. This is the story of three brothers as they deal with life and love. Director/Actor Edward Burns really tries hard to bring out a film with some strong family values, but fails miserably. Here is the really funny part. Instead of just letting a dead horse remain in the barn, Burns counters with producing and directing the SAME movie, except this time it is called She's the One. How did this happen?

I know this is a short review, but I didn't want to bother writing down everything I disliked about this film, so I just kept it short and sweet. Overall, I say skip this film. It was pointless and drab and proved that if at first you don't succeed; release another film with a different title with basically the same plot.

BLAH!

Grade: * out of *****

Average customer rating:

Caramel Iced Eclairs

She's the One / Simply Irresistible
Starring: She the One , and Simply Irresistable
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000KGGIZ0
Release Date: 2006-12-05

Amazon.com

She's the One: Following the success of his spunky, 1995 directorial debut, The Brothers McMullen, Edward Burns suffers a little sophomore slump with this comedy about a pair of rivalrous brothers who get into bizarre relationships with women in a fierce but immature pursuit of happiness. When they find they both have a complicated interest in the same woman (Cameron Diaz), things come to a head. The film is a little overwritten, undershot, bulky, slow, and static, but it is also funny and inventive--further proof that Burns knows his New York City beat as well as Woody Allen does. With Jennifer Aniston, Maxine Bahns, and John Mahoney. --Tom Keogh

Simply Irresistible: Call it Buffy the Culinary Slayer. Sarah Michelle Gellar, known for running around staking vampires and fighting demons, turns cute and cuddly as an aspiring chef in this magical-realist comedy that borrows a page--heck, whole chapters--from Like Water for Chocolate. Out at the market one day, Gellar stumbles on both a magical crab and the babelicious Sean Patrick Flanery who, wouldn't you know it, is opening up a posh restaurant at Bendel's department store (actually, the two have been brought together by fairy godfather Christopher Durang). Odd and implausible circumstances give these two cuties more opportunities to moon at each other, and suddenly Gellar's cooking takes off--turns out all her nicey-nice feelings towards Flanery are going into her cooking, with the help of that quiet but powerful little crab. Gellar's almost-closed restaurant starts to thrive, and her desserts begin making everyone horny. A cute premise that never really takes off, Simply Irresistible glides along on Gellar's charisma alone, working to give some depth to her one-dimensional character. Flanery, though, while appealing at times, plays up his character's commitment-phobia to irritating degrees. Chock full of fairy-tale elements that never really come together (is that crab really necessary?), Irresistible does boast charming performances by Patricia Clarkson and Dylan Baker as Flanery's secretary and boss, respectively. However, it's a little odd to see these two, who scored raves for two serious and harrowing art-house flicks (Clarkson in High Art, Baker in Happiness) doing the light-and-fluffy romantic comedy thing. They're two of the very few ingredients that occasionally make this soufflé of a movie rise; at the end, however, it's flat as a pancake. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews:

Caramel Iced Eclairs.......2007-02-09

Review for Simply Irresistible

A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness." ~Elsa Schiaparelli

Sarah Michelle Gellar's softer side appears as she picks up the batterie de cuisine and tackles saving a restaurant from certain death. When it looks like Amanda's career is about to end as a chef, an angel appears in her life and gives her some sage advice about looking for a door that will open when another one closes. As the chef of a failing 70 year-old restaurant, the Southern Cross, she only has her loyal clientele who are not there for the food.

To say she is adorable as a chef is an understatement. She appears in a variety of fashionable outfits and weaves a sweet innocent spell on the viewer. Worth watching to see Sarah dressed up in a variety of outfits and different hairstyles.

There are also scenes of outdoor markets, beautiful orchids and of course restaurant scenes, Sarah shopping, cooking and crawling about on the floor chasing after magical crabs all to romantic music.

Instead of slaying vampires, "Buffy" bewitches Tom Bartlett (Sean Patrick Flanery) and entices love right into her life through cooking a variety of gourmet dishes. If every man has his weakness, Tom's weakness is luscious cuisine.

"She can cook things that make you crazy." ~Tom

As every kitchen sorceress has discovered, the right food can create the right mood and can invite happiness and love into your life. I loved the dance scene and the scene where Tom and Amanda disappear into the scented mist. This movie emphasizes the aphrodisiac qualities of food.

Amanda Shelton (Sarah) only discovers her true cooking talents after meeting Tom. At first she seems unaware of her current fate while Tom seems to be trying to control his fate. He is disturbed by his lack of emotional control and when he falls "in love" with Amanda, his world seems to be spinning out of control.

"My whole life was ordinary and then we met and these amazing things started to happen." ~Amanda

Is it love that makes Amanda a better cook and makes her cooking taste even better to Tom? Are their senses in a state of heightened awareness from the chemicals rushing through their bodies or is there magic floating about? Once she finds a recipe for caramel eclairs, Tom is even more attracted to her.

There are very few movies about cooking or chefs so this one is a treat. Tear drops in the food reminded me of Like Water for Chocolate. The emotions Amanda feels are somehow magically mixed into the food she is cooking. Either the dishes make people cry, stun them or make them lose their inhibitions. She seems to have a magical gift for culinary creations that have an effect on anyone who consumes them.

After watching this movie you may want to feed your lover oranges, invest in some expensive vanilla extract, get lost in a kiss or cook up some bliss. If you are looking for the best vanilla for your cooking, Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla is superior.

Deliciously cute, silly spells, sweet innocent love and a few hot and steamy kissing scenes in the kitchen. For romantics and lovers of kitchens and cuisine. Almost a culinary Cinderella story.

You might enjoy these books:

The Seduction Cookbook by Diane Brown (Baked Salmon with Raspberry Cabernet Sauce, ideas for late night seduction snacks and information on growing an erotic herb garden.)

A Passionfruit Cookbook by Patrick Jesse Pons-Worley (The flavor of passion fruit is so seductive and exotic.)

Written with a Spoon (Poetry and Recipes)

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids by Alec Pridgeon

The Edible Flower Garden by Rosalind Creasy

InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook (The "Fig Pastries" are decadent and naughty.)

Movies with Food Themes:

Babette's Feast
Like Water for Chocolate
Scent of Green Papaya
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Big Night

~The Rebecca Review

P.S. If you need a recipe for the caramel iced eclairs to entice someone with, e-mail me from my site. I can't believe they didn't publish a cookbook to go with this movie, they still should!

Edward Burns Box Set - The Brothers McMullen, She's The One, No Looking Back

Average customer rating:

Edward Burns Box Set
Reminded me of home*
Very enjoyable film & a MUST SEE for any Jon Bon Jovi fan!
A Favorite
real life movie

Edward Burns Box Set - The Brothers McMullen, She's The One, No Looking Back
Starring: ed Burns
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00004YMYZ
Release Date: 2000-10-03

Amazon.com

The third film in writer-director-actor Edward Burns's "Long Island Trilogy" is in some ways the slightest of the three, and that's a blessing and a curse. By keeping things spare, Burns is able to focus on the simple, honest humanity of his story, which centers on the emotional dilemma of Claudia (Lauren Holly), a small-town waitress whose engagement to blue-collar Michael (Jon Bon Jovi) is challenged when old flame Charlie (Burns) returns after an extended absence. Their shared history includes an abortion that left Claudia feeling abandoned and resentful, and for good reason, given Charlie's reputation for self-involved aloofness.

As in his previous films, Burns demonstrates a subtle hand with actors and a keen awareness of life's authentic rhythm; this movie will strongly affect anyone who can relate to Claudia's need to find herself, independent of her tenuous relationships. The performances are uniformly superb: Holly expresses the confusion and seeking quality of her character; Burns makes Charlie both charming and bluntly self-serving; and Bon Jovi shows strong potential beyond his rock-star handsomeness. Indeed, the film's only weakness is that it's stretched too thin to be truly substantial, and Burns relies far too heavily on a soundtrack (with heavy doses of Bruce Springsteen and Sheryl Crow) that too often substitutes for dialogue. It's as if Burns didn't trust his own material; he needn't have been so insecure. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Edward Burns Box Set.......2006-11-04

I have been waiting years for this affordable release. The only thing that could have made me happier would be the release of a soundtrack for No Looking Back.

The Brothers McMullen is not my favorite movie. In my opinion, it is the weakest of the three. The acting is ok, the story line is predictable, and the characters just don't pull you in and make you care a whole lot about them. She's the One is much better.

But, my favorite is No Looking Back. Jon Bon Jovi does a great job in this film! He once again proves that some music stars CAN cross the bridge into acting. All of the actors are able to make you care about them and the outcome of the dilema that makes up the backbone of the movie. The music (Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Sheryl Crow) sets a tone that is accentuated by the cinematography. You can practically feel the chill in the air at the beginning of the movie when the camera's eye scans the "Jersey Shore". The bleakness of the background is representative of the despair felt by the characters.

I wholeheartedly recommend this box set if for nothing more than to see No Looking Back. Which, by the way, had previously cost more to purchase on its own than the box set is now. My advice, when it comes in--grab a blanket, pop the DVD in the machine and then curl up on the couch to watch it. It's one of those movies you won't soon forget!

Reminded me of home*.......2006-06-30

I have been reading some of the reviews on this movie and I agree with all who thought the film was great. I didn't see anything missing other than a good fistfight scene between Michael and Charlie once Michael knew he and Claudia spent the night together.

The cast did an excellent job and the town this movie was filmed in reminded me of home. I'm a native of NJ and having filmed this movie at one of the Jersey shores was very real in the fact that its cold and rainy alot of the time. Many of the scenes actualized how the day to day grind and "comfortable" feeling life can be at times. The characters depicted real choices we all have for a different, yet uncertain path or stay in the "known". The scene at the laundromat is exactly how they look back home and the row houses and even the town diners. Ed Burns is awesome and really put alot of thought into making this movie be as realistic as possible for the location he chose to film it in.

I adore Jon Bon Jovi and even met him at Seaside Heights, NJ many years ago before he was ever famous and he was sweet and talented then as he is now as an actor.

KUDOS!!

Very enjoyable film & a MUST SEE for any Jon Bon Jovi fan!.......2006-01-05

The title of my review says it all. I enjoyed the movie and the cast did an excellent job. I'm delighted to own this film.

A Favorite.......2005-12-07

This is one of my favorite movies. I love the music and the story. While it's no longer available for individual sale you can still get it in the boxed set. Stores From Long Island: 3 films by Edward Burns. For just a few dollars more than the used price of one DVD you can get 3 great movies.

real life movie.......2005-08-04

a fragile sentimental situation, the cold and damp atlantic NE weather, the feeling that your future hangs on someone's else decision, a small town...

I've been there, and this movie captures all the above perfectly. With the help of a haunting soundtrack rediscovering (discovering?) unknown classics like Patti Scialfa dishing out rumble doll just like if it was one of Bruce's gem. A movie to watch alone, on a late Sunday afternoon

Average customer rating:

The Brothers McMullen [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00004VYIQ

Average customer rating:

The Brothers McMullen [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000260QWY

DVD:

DVD

DVD