HALF BROTHERS

HALF BROTHERS follows two half-brothers who meet upon the death of their father, only to discover the reasons for their late father’s actions through a series of clues and riddles that lead them to the truth. Ultimately, HALF BROTHERS is a redemptive, heartfelt, well-acted movie honoring truth, reconciliation, marriage, and providing for one’s family, but MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution for the movie’s excessive amount of strong foul language and some politically correct elements.

In 1994 in San Miguel, Mexico, a young boy and his father bond over remote control airplanes and have the best of times. One day shortly after, the boy’s father goes to the United States to make money for his family, but in the process, leaves his wife and son in tears.

Cut to 25 years later, the son, Renato, is all grown up and working as an engineer. Although he’s a hot shot, he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it comes to working with Americans. In addition to being a successful engineer, Renato is engaged to be married and has about five days left until he sees his bride walk down the aisle. His fiancée has a son, who Renato has trouble relating to without being tactful.

At work the next day, Renato gets a call from an American woman who says his father is on his deathbed and wants to see him. Renato reluctantly agrees to travel to Chicago to see his dying father. Before he goes to the hospital, however, he encounters an obnoxious man at a coffee shop who slows him down. While at the hospital, Renato reconnects with his father, despite his feelings of abandonment, only to see the same man from the coffee shop in his father’s hospital room. Lo and behold, the man, Asher, is actually Renato’s half-brother!

Renato and Asher have mixed feelings about being related to one another, but must put them aside to uncover the real story of their father’s time in the U.S. Why did he never return to Mexico for Renato? What is his legacy? Can Renato ever forgive his father for 25 years of loneliness and father issues?

The unlikely pair of half-brothers set out to discover the answers to all these questions after their father dies. The man leaves behind a collection of clues to ease their minds. Will they find what they’re looking for or burn bridges in the process?

HALF BROTHERS does a solid job of cluing in the audience to the time period of the onscreen events, while also leaving enough mystery to keep the plot intriguing for first-time viewers. There’s a good mix of ridiculousness that’s reminiscent of something out of THE HANGOVER movies, but laced with dollops of redemptive qualities, mainly attributed to family and reconciliation. These redemptive qualities increase the movie’s entertainment values. Juan Pablo Espinosa makes a great father in the movie. Also, both Luis Gerado Méndez and Connor Del Rio as the sons have a fun chemistry together.

HALF BROTHERS has a strong moral worldview with an emphasis on searching for the truth, reconciliation, marriage, and doing whatever it takes to provide for one’s family. There are also Christian elements as a man wears a cross around his neck, and there are a few snapshots of a church and some nuns who help a man at his lowest. That said, HALF BROTHERS contains strong politically correct elements stereotyping Americans as ignorant of other cultures and accusing people of coming across the border illegally. There’s a mention of American companies wanting cheap labor from foreigners who aren’t afraid to work in shoddy conditions. MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution for the politically correct elements in HALF BROTHERS, as well as for an excessive amount of strong foul language.