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The Brothers McMullen (1995)

A review by Damian Cannon.
Copyright © Movie Reviews UK 1997
You know that life will always surprise you when, at your father's funeral, your mother announces her intention to leave immediately. The realisation that she married due to pregnancy, rather than love, brings home the true impact of being a Catholic to Barry McMullen (Edward Burns). For this is the scene that confronts him at the Long Island grave-side, being left with only the advice "Don't do what I did". Jumping five years into the future we see that the twin swords of this homily and Catholicism have directed the lives of Jack (Jack Mulcahy), Barry and Patrick (Mike McGlone) - the brothers McMullen. Through circumstance the siblings are thrown together in their childhood home, where Jack lives with his wife Molly (Connie Britton). As Barry and Patrick take their old attic room, promising that they'll be gone by the New Year, the stage is set for a humorous examination of life, love, feelings and desires.

At Molly's 30th birthday party we learn that Barry, a serial monogamist, has split up with Ann (Elizabeth McKay) due to the pressure of commitment. He can't say "I love you", leading him to use feigned disinterest in women as a shield against intimacy. Patrick is no better off with a long-term on-off relationship with his Jewish girlfriend. She's ready to marry and settle down whereas Patrick has no idea what he wants. The only couple who seem secure are Jack and Molly, after five years of marriage. However now that Ann has broken up with Barry she feels ready for another relationship, preferably with a married man - like Jack. He puts up a pretence of loyalty to Molly but underneath he's a sea of lust; giving in with the thought that he can control an affair like this, Jack submits. No chance! Barry, on the other hand, is glad to be free from Ann and commences looking for an apartment in 'the Village'. Somehow though he keeps bumping into this stunningly beautiful actress who, unfortunately, doesn't reciprocate his feelings.

With some prompting from Barry, Patrick decides to break-up with his girlfriend - after all, she wants him to convert to Judaism! Regrettably, she gets there first and terminates their relationship without even giving a reason why, leaving Pat at a loose end. He spends his time musing over her reasons eventually finding out that she's pregnant - a disaster for a Catholic as he'll have to marry her. The intermingling of the brothers lives continues; the aching decisions over what they really want from life, what 'True Love' really is and just how bad a sin is adultery. The feeling of really knowing this small group increases, like a Catholic Woody Allen movie, until we really care how the brothers resolve their problems.

The dialogue throughout this film has a scorching clarity - the brothers say exactly what they mean without any of the usual Hollywood decoration. These are real people with problems which are common to everyone, like once you're married you'll only ever have sex with one person! With insightful comic moments we are left with the desire to know what happens to the characters after the movie finishes, a triumph for any piece of fiction. That this is a low-budget movie with unknown actors is in no way detrimental, in fact the level of acting is uniformly good. If you feel like watching an intimate, funny and perceptive glance at human relationships then catch The Brothers McMullen - it'll grow on you!

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