
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, September 23, 1995                   TAG: 9509260100
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: B12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

`BROTHERS' IS A TERRIFIC SLEEPER

"The Brothers McMullen" is exactly the kind of low-budget, character-driven film that does well at festivals. It won the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival and is now becoming a sleeper commercial hit.

Some have called first-time writer/director/star/producer Edward Burns a Catholic Woody Allen. But with its grainy, homemade look, the film is perhaps more reminiscent of John Sayles' "The Return of the Secaucus Seven."

The title characters are three brothers whose main problems all involve women. The oldest, Jack (Jack Mulcahy), is happily married to Molly (Connie Britton) and living in the family's Long Island home when his two younger brothers ask if they can move back in.

The youngest, Patrick (Mike McGlone) can't seem to reconcile his Catholic beliefs with his Jewish fiancee, Susan (Shari Albert), and balks at moving into a Manhattan apartment with her. He's sorting out his feelings for her and the church when he runs into a free-spirited high school friend, Leslie (Jennifer Jostyn, who almost steals the film from a talented ensemble).

The middle brother, Barry (Burns), has just fallen for Audrey (Maxine Bahns), an actress, but he steps back as soon as things get serious. One of his old flames, Ann (Elizabeth P. McKay), makes it obvious to Jack that she's interested in an affair.

Virtually the entire film is composed of conversations between various pairs of these eight characters, and, for the most part, it works. These are believably real people who are trying to handle situations that everyone in the audience has experienced. Burns and Dick Fisher, who photographed, edited and co-produced the film, stage the scenes simply without any obvious lighting tricks or tricky camera work. Working with a microscopic budget, they were forced to make use of actual locations including Burns' own house, where much of the action is set.

The dialogue slips into cliche at times, and the ending is a bit too neat for the conflicts that Burns has created, but those flaws are easy to overlook. "The Brothers McMullen" is an obvious labor of love. Burns' enthusiasm and belief in his story are much more important than technical polish.

Strongly recommended for dedicated film fans.

\ The Brothers McMullen ***

A Fox Searchlight release playing at The Grandin Theatre. 97 min. Rated R for subject matter and some strong language.

by CNB