Half Brothers
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLuke Greenfield
Screenplay by
  • Eduardo Cisneros
  • Jason Shuman
Story by
Produced by
  • Jason Shuman
  • Eduardo Cisneros
  • Luke Greenfield
  • Jason Benoit
Starring
CinematographyThomas Scott Stanton
Edited byJoe Mitacek
Music byJordan Seigel
Production
companies
  • Jason Shuman Productions
  • Eduardo Cisneros Productions
Distributed byFocus Features (United States)
Universal Pictures[1] (International)
Release date
  • December 4, 2020 (2020-12-04)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish
Box office$3.3 million[2][3]

Half Brothers is a 2020 American comedy road movie directed by Luke Greenfield from a screenplay by Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Shuman. It stars Luis Gerardo Méndez, Connor Del Rio, José Zúñiga, Vincent Spano, Pia Watson and Juan Pablo Espinosa.

The film was released on December 4, 2020, by Focus Features.[4]

Plot

In 1994 Mexico, Renato Murguia's father Flavio has to immigrate to the US in search of economic opportunity as their country underwent an economic crisis. Although Flavio promises to return soon, he does not. 25 years later, Renato is a successful aviation company executive based in San Miguel, is engaged to Pamela who already has a son Emilio and is planning to marry. Renato is contacted by a woman named Katherine, Flavio’s second wife, who tells that Flavio is very ill and wishes for Renato to see him in Chicago. Renato is still angry at his father for never returning all those years, but reluctantly ends up going to Chicago.

Renato meets Flavio at the hospital for the first time in decades. Asher, whom Renato first encountered at a coffee shop, appears, which Flavio reveals that both of them are brothers. leaving them displeased. Flavio asks them to do one last favor for him, to look for Eloise, after delivering an envelope to a man named Evaristo. However, Renato, still resentful, refuses and storms out of the hospital.

Flavio dies the next day. Renato attends the funeral and leaves, despite Asher trying to convince him to fulfill their father’s dying wish, but he eventually relents and turns around to tell Asher to pick him up the next day from his hotel so they can head out.

On the road, Renato falls asleep and wakes up at a goat farm, finding Asher running toward the car with a small goat, as armed men with rifles chase Asher. The two manages to escape, but Renato yells at Asher for stopping just for a goat farm. To make matters worse, they are even further away from where they should have been. After the long detour, they make it to an old factory where Flavio worked there with Katherine and is currently producing radio-controlled airplanes that Renato and Flavio used to play with. Directed by one of the factory's employees, they meet a man at a Mexican bar across the street named Evaristo, a friend of Flavio who also immigrated to the United States.

Providing them with a key. Evaristo tells Renato about how Flavio did everything he could to make enough money and return home. He worked in the factory until he came up with the idea to make the toy planes, which revitalized the company with help from Katherine. They had a good professional relationship that turned into a one-night stand, until Flavio felt guilty for betraying his old wife, so he left to try and make his way back home once he had enough money. Evaristo then gives Renato a box with another envelope written as Mr. B, which contains a claim ticket for a pawnshop. Before they can learn anything else, Asher forces them to run again when he picks a fight with guys he made a bad pool bet with.

The two stop at a motel where they were able to figure out the next location within the claim ticket from Mr. B's envelope to go to a pawn shop in Oklahoma City. They reach the shop the following morning and meet Mr. B, who presents them with Flavio’s wedding ring. Mr. B explains that Renato was mugged while on his way for the border. Beaten and bloodied, he went to the shop and tried to pawn something off. Unable to afford his personal effects, Mr. B said he would buy Flavio's wedding ring and keep it there until he had the money to buy it back. After this, he attempted to cross the border but was arrested and thrown in jail. He got sick afterward, and the guards dumped him on the side of the road to die. Before telling anything else, Mr. B gives them an envelope for Eloise; it contains a picture of St. Mary's Convent in El Paso, Texas.

Renato, furious and impatient, grabs his bag and tries to head to the airport, but relents upon discovering that he doesn’t have his passport on him. However, their car runs out of gas and the goat, whom Asher calls "Renatito" had destroyed all of the extra fuel supply, leaving Renato angry and the two had a fight. While looking for help, they found an unlocked cabin, full of pure alcohol, which Renato plans to process it into gasoline to refuel Asher's car. Renato flips out upon learning Asher got rid of his passport and locks him up in the bathroom before driving off. However, he becomes remorseful midway through and tries to turn around but is stopped and arrested by a border patrol officer. Renato is thrown into detention with other undocumented immigrants until he is bailed out the next morning.

Renato reunites with Asher in a donut shop, who told him that the cabin they broke in belonged to the group of rednecks they previously encountered at a gas station, which they also stole his goat and are planning to eat. Renato and Asher return to the cabin and fill the place with ethanol vapor to knock out the rednecks and save the goat.

With the US-Mexico border drawing near, Renato decides to go to St. Mary's Convent in El Paso. They meet a nun who takes them to a cabinet that requires a code. Renato looks at the envelope with Eloise written on it and then, upon remembering to look at a different perspective, turns it upside down to reveal the combination mean for the cabinet safe. They open it to find a DVD from Flavio explaining himself to his sons. After being left for dead by the prison guards, he was found and took care by the church nuns from the convent nearby before he was able to set out to return home but felt remorseful for leaving Katherine without explanation. When he arrives in Chicago, she had already given birth to Asher. Not wanting to leave another son behind, he called his old wife to let her, and Renato know that he wasn’t going to come home, and that was when Renato stopped caring for him. Flavio goes further and explains that although he did love Asher, he tried to recapture too much of Renato in him and distanced himself when he saw that Asher was different. He explains that he loved both of them and hopes that they can not only forgive him but grow as brothers.

The nun then shows the brothers that Eloise really is an actual plane built by Flavio to pass down to his sons. Now having a way of getting home, Renato gets ready to part ways with Asher and the goat; Renatito. However, he changes his mind and invites them both to the wedding. They fly away together and return to Mexico as they pass above the Sumidero Canyon.

Renato and Pamela get married, and Renato starts to make a bond with Emilio by having him fly a toy plane, which crashes into a nearby house, prompting everyone who witnesses the accident to flee.

Cast

Production

In May 2019, it was announced Luis Gerardo Méndez had joined the cast of the film, with Luke Greenfield directing from a screenplay by Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Shuman with Focus Features producing and distributing.[5] In June 2019, Connor Del Rio joined the cast of the film.[6] In August 2019, Pia Watson, Juan Pablo Espinosa and Vincent Spano joined the cast of the film.[7][8][9]

Principal photography began in New Mexico in July 2019, and lasted 31 days.[1][10]

Reception

Box office

The film grossed $720,000 from 1,369 theaters in its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office.[11] It remained in second in its sophomore weekend, falling 30% to $490,000. On its third weekend it earned $200,000 more.[12]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 36% and an average rating of 5.2/10, based on 45 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads: "Half road trip comedy, half family drama, Half Brothers adds up to a less-than-halfway-entertaining look at immigration through the experiences of two siblings."[13] According to Metacritic, which sampled seven critics and calculated a weighted average score of 30 out of 100, the film received "generally unfavorable reviews".[14] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported 77% of audience members gave the film a positive score, with 47% saying they would definitely recommend it.[11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 ""Half Brothers" Feature Starts Production In New Mexico For Focus Features". Focus Features. July 12, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Half Brothers (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Half Brothers (2020)". The Numbers. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Half Brothers". Focus Features. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  5. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (May 7, 2019). "Exclusive: Luke Greenfield to Direct Comedy 'Half-Brothers' for Focus Features". Collider. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  6. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 11, 2019). "One To Watch: Mexican Movie Star Luis Gerardo Méndez Wants To Tell Stories Of Home, Sets Focus Features Vehicle 'Half Brothers'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  7. ↑ Greenfield, Luke (August 4, 2019). "Me, Pia Watson, and some weird dude. #halfbrothersmovie2020 @pia_watson @luisgerardom #nmfilm". Retrieved July 14, 2020 – via Instagram.
  8. ↑ Greenfield, Luke (August 7, 2019). "This is what happens when Juan Pablo gets out of line. #halfbrothers #halfbrothersmovie2020". Retrieved July 14, 2020 – via Instagram.
  9. ↑ "Vincent Completes Luke Greenfield's Half Brothers". Vincent Spano. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Tale of discovery: NM doubles for parts of Midwest, Mexico in 'Half Brothers' - Albuquerque Journal".
  11. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 6, 2020). "Universal Continues To Dominate Paltry Pandemic Post-Thanksgiving B.O. As Town Reels From Warner-HBO Max Windows Bombshell". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  12. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 13, 2020). "'Croods: A New Age' Tops December Weekend Sans Wide Releases; DWA Sequel Beats 'Mulan' In China". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Half Brothers (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Half Brothers Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
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