There seems to be a trend in comedies and other holiday films to use the lost family member and road trip story lines as a way to get people to relate to their story. And in the the new Focus Features release – Half Brothers, both of these story lines combine to make a movie that will make you laugh in a bit of escapism that doesn’t require much commitment.
Half Brothers follows Renato as he goes on a cross country trip with his newly discovered half brother Asher – who doesn’t fit into the world around him well. While on the journey the brothers not only find a connection to each other but more about themselves – hitting almost every hollywood cliche along the way.
The odd couple/buddy film doesn’t leave viewers hanging with just a road trip type story – it does have some heart and a lot of laughs along the way. But some of these laughs are done at the expense of groups of people using often repeated bias including American tourists, people who live in more rural areas or even people who may just be considered different. It seems it is done for the main character Renato to examine his prejudices but the over the top portrayal of some characters for comedic effect may not land well with many.
The movie also shows a limited plight of immigration and what migrant workers go through. Almost a rags to riches story that optimizes the American Dream that often, many people are unable to reach no matter what they do. It shows a very top level view of the immigration, some of the tragedies and brutalities people deal with. But – for it being included at all in a comedy is a rare occurrence.
At it’s heart, Half Brothers is an hour and a half of escapism. A movie where you can turn off your brain and laugh at some antics that are over the top in so many ways. The characters will finally get to their destinations – but the movie does miss a few major things along the way.
HALF BROTHERS will be opening at the Ford Drive-In this Friday in Dearborn, Michigan.It will be released wide in Michigan when theaters open and on VPOD later this month.
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About Half Brothers:
Renato, a successful Mexican aviation executive, is shocked to discover he has an American half-brother he never knew about, the free-spirited Asher. The two very different half-brothers are forced on a road journey together masterminded by their ailing father, tracing the path their father took as an immigrant from Mexico to the US.