Bloodbrothers Reviews

Rated R mostly for foul language, BLOODBROTHERS is an ambitious and sometimes-incisive look at the inner workings of an Italian-American family. (Odd that there doesn't seem to be a single person of Italian ancestry involved with creating and producing this film other than the actors.) Gere is the son of LoBianco and Goldoni. The "sensitive one" in the family, he is in the process of deciding whether to stay in the macho world of construction, like his father and uncle (Sorvino), or to give it up for something he wants to do: work with young children. This is a hard-edged film, and the people are as real as the guys in the next truck. Gere is better than usual in a more demanding role than he customarily plays. His technique seems mannered but not excessively so. LoBianco and Sorvino, as the two brothers, are instantly recognizable as the boors one usually sees at the next table in a beer bar, making so much noise that conversation is an impossibility. The film is not for those of delicate sensibilities, but it is realistic. In fact, it may be just a bit too real to be called entertainment. Newman's screenplay earned the film an Oscar nomination.