Similar to Ethan Coen’s earlier release, Drive Away Dolls, Brothers is a road-trip crime comedy. However, unlike Dolls, it doesn’t maintain a consistently whimsical charm, even though it hints at such aspirations with its vibrant backstories and would-be witty narration from Dinklage. Jady, recently released from prison after a job the brothers executed together, has been freed by the corrupt guard Farful (Brendan Fraser) on the condition that he shares some of the hidden loot that their criminal mother stashed away. Moke, who managed to escape their last escapade unscathed, feels remorse for his brother’s imprisonment and aims to secure some extra funds for his expanding family; his wife, Abby (Taylour Paige), is expecting, and her affluent parents already doubt his ability to support the child. Thus, the bold, scheming brother and the more cautious, sensitive brother engage in a series of cartoonish, absurd, and not-so-funny antics, which even includes a smoking ape at one point.
The ape provides a brief moment of amusement. Brothers offers several fleeting laughs, thanks to director Max Barbakow, known for the humorous and heartfelt Palm Springs. He captures some well-timed visual gags, such as a scene where Dinklage and Brolin execute an unintentional synchronized escape. The script also includes some witty lines amidst the more forced comedic elements, like Jady's quip about why Dracula would triumph over the Wolf Man: “Wolf Man is once a month, Dracula is all the time.” However, the writing lacks the creativity, depth, and quirky charm you might anticipate from screenwriter Macon Blair, who has collaborated with Jeremy Saulnier and starred in Blue Ruin, as well as penned Hold the Dark.
It may not be entirely fair to hope that a quirky, ultimately heartwarming family comedy could resemble the brutal, unflinching thrillers Blair has previously worked on—or even come closer to the unique style of the Coen brothers. Yet, one can't help but think that a film in that vein would better showcase the talents of Dinklage, Brolin, Marisa Tomei, and Glenn Close, all of whom fully commit to their roles here with limited success. Brendan Fraser certainly deserves a chance to portray a larger-than-life character in a genuine Coen film, or at least in one of Ethan's more lighthearted solo projects. Brothers even features the late character actor M Emmett Walsh, known for his roles in Blood Simple and Raising Arizona, in one of his final performances.
It's not sufficient to transform this into a cult crime comedy from virtually nothing. In its own limited way, Brothers moves along at a decent pace; without the lengthy credits, it clocks in at around 83 minutes, just enough to prevent it from automatically playing on Prime Video. The most peculiar aspect is how much of that duration inadvertently highlights its own excessive and poorly considered flaws.