Early this month, the film Half Brothers were released in the theaters (or at least for cinema release; what is really being released in physical theaters these days?). I had the opportunity to view the film a day before its premiere all including Q & A with the cast and director of the film. While I appreciated learning more about the story after the credits rolled, their process in making and creating this movie did not make the film more enjoyable or memorable.

Let’s talk cliches, shall we? Because this movie is chock full of them. The whole story is a trope masquerading as a social commentary about how shitty immigration is in the United States. Our protagonists, brothers Renato and Connor, meet in the States when Renato visits his dying father in the hospital. Their first meeting reveals that Connor and Renato are polar opposites, raised by their father with different women and different periods of his life. His last request is to send them on this quest to learn the truth about why he stayed on state soil and, I guess, why he was a shitty dad to Connor? Folks, the plot is slim here, I gotta tell ya.

The actors tried very hard to embody these characters but the story did not save them. If I didn’t mention it was a comedy, well I am now. Physical stunts. The stealing of a goat. And many other shenanigans ensued to help the audience believe how these two brothers will settle their differences. Even their poor excuse for comic relief (across the board), only made me groan after every scene.

The story about Renato and Connor’s father, struggling to go back to Mexico and having to stay is absolutely an immigration story. But why exploit it? Why not just tell this story the way it’s meant to be told and not in a slapstick way that cheapens it? This movie, while written by Latinx writers, couldn’t be saved in any way. In three years, no one will be talking about that little picture the director for The Girl Next Door directed in 2020.