February 20th, 2008

 

Movie Review

 

 

 

 Title            Brothers & Sisters (series)

 Producer      Jon Robin Baitz

 Studio          ABC

 Starring        Calista Flockhart (formerly Ally McBeal cast)

                   Sally Field

                   Rob Lowe

 Language      English

 

 

Review

What I really love about this movie is the simplicity that blows my heart away. Simplicity does not necessarily refer to dullness, but rather how it can touch our heart by presenting things which are familiar with us. While some series show us how to save the world, how to date a really good catch, and so on, Brothers & Sisters gives us an insight how big life is started from a family. It looks so real for me and understandable why I can have emotional bound with this series above all others I have also watched.

 

This movie shows us the life of Walker family. After the death of the father, William Walker (recurring guest star Tom Skerritt), the family found the deep secret which has been lying in the family. The father had been cheating on them for many years. The fact made themselves torn apart, regarding how proud they used to be of their father. Each of the Walker family children along with the mother, Nora Walker (Sally Field), must have came together as they navigate the bumpy road that lied ahead. The interaction between the members of the family: the mother and five children (along with their family and friends) is the focus the story. How chaotic the situation was when they had to cope problems arose in the family. How the mother out of the blue became so protective to her children. How did they manage to forgive their father after what he had done to them.

 

Another point which interests me is the diversity of the members of the family. Each has their own personality and problems. Nora Walker is a full-time house wife, which appears to me to be paranoid, overprotective, but caring mother. Kitty Walker (Calista Flockhart) is a politician which later on involved with a candidate of President, Senator McCallister (Rob Lowe), both in work and love. Kitty managed to be an independent woman, strong but fragile in the same time. It makes her attractive. Despite she always argued with her mother, together they actually made a really good team work. Sarah Walker (Rachel Griffiths), the eldest, tried so hard balance her career with being a wife to husband, Joe (John Pyper-Ferguson), and a mother to their two children. She is the ideal type of mother, but yet she also torn apart later when she found out that her husband is deceitful.

 

Tommy Walker (Balthazar Getty) together with Sarah, continued running their father's company, Ojai Food. Soon they found that their father inappropriately borrowed from company funds. Things are made more complex for the family realized that it had something to do with the father's mistress, Holly Harper (Patricia Wettig) and her child, Rebecca (Emily VanCamp). Tommy is reserved and level headed young executive man. Later on he had to get himself together realizing that he was not able to have a baby.

Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) is an openly gay lawyer who's political beliefs often clashed with Kitty's. He was so frustrated with his life, since so often he dated wrong guys or right guy -but he left to a remote country anyway. But among other Walkers, I found the he is the funniest. He often made a statement which is somewhat rude, but clever and funny in the same time. And then there is Justin Walker (Dave Annable), the youngest and always the baby of the Walker family. He enlisted in the army days after 9/11 and after a tour in Afghanistan, he became addicted to drugs.

 

However, the Walker has something in common: they are not good secret keepers. Secret was always passed on in the family. When someone had a problem, the rest would know in a blink of the eye. Then each member always stepped on the boundaries and showed their care although the recipient did not expect that. That actually makes the relationship fruitful. 

 

 

 

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