The Brothers McMullen

Edward Burns, USA 1995, 97 minutes

Ed Burns' low-budget feel-good movie about the three brothers in the title has just enough in it to keep you interested. Dealing with the sex-lives of Roman Catholics, each of the three brothers has a different stance; Jack (Jack Mulcahy) is the obedient one, married to a wonderful wife but with a condom in his back pocket (his dip into sin); Patrick (Mike McGlone) is the romantic, unfortunately smitten with a Jewish girl; Barry (Burns) is the bachelor with a string of onenight stands. Without their abusive (and dead) father or their mother (who has left to marry her true love) to turn to, each brother confides in the other.

The film is refreshing in a number of ways, not least for the portrayal of adultery as a big-time sin. Equally, director/writer/star Burns manages to make the film work even after having to finance it with his credit card.

As an actor, he has grace and a quiet unassumingness about him, as a director he is solid, working well despite a miniscule budget. The abilities of the other members of the cast vary, but are generally as good as certain other actors who get paid thousands more. Even Burns' girlfriend, the gorgeous Maxine Bahns, appears in the film and many of the scenes were shot in friend's houses and around his hometown.

Unfortunately, he slipped slightly once given a budget, making She's The One (essentially a remake of the Brothers Mcmullen in the same style as Robert Rodriguez's El Mariachi/ Desperado). However, in The Brothers McMullen you can see just how impressive a filmmaker he is and hopefully we'll see more in the future.

Review by Neil Chue Hong
Taken from EUFS Programme 1997-98