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‘Brothers’ Review: Peter Dinklage and Josh Brolin Play Mismatched Twins in a Comedy Blind to Their Differences


Where 'Palm Springs' director Max Barbakow's debut refreshed an overplayed formula, his follow-up 'Brothers' doesn't properly engage with its premise.

Screenwriters Macon Blair (“The Toxic Avenger”) and Etan Cohen ( “Tropic Thunder”) have credits that suggest as much, while Hollywood has a history of turning out “high-concept” comedies like “Twins,” in which Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito played long-separated (and far-from-identical) siblings. The timeline’s a little wonky in “Brothers,” suggesting the screenwriters didn’t know who would play the title pair and once Brolin and Dinklage were attached, couldn’t be bothered to adjust the script (except one gag, where a security guard mistakes a hoodie-wearing Jady for a “kid” from behind). “Brothers” also resembles countless films that have come before — in this case, dimwit rural crime capers, from “Raizing Arizona” to “Logan Lucky,” but also/especially the mid-2000s sitcom “My Name Is Earl” — but lacks the original spin or improv-ready leads that might have set it apart.

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Peter Dinklage

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Josh Brolin

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