History Film / Brothers2009

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: In real life, Sam would not have been declared dead, only missing, since they never found his remains.

* SwappedRoles: Sam, the upright Army officer, is the responsible sibling to Tommy's drunken screw-up. However, Tommy starts straightening out his life, while Sam comes back from combat riddled with PTSD and unable to function.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Sam finally decides to go get mental help after suffering a mental breakdown over thinking Grace and Tommy were together, but on the downside Grace and the family now have to struggle with Sam's PTSD as a result]].
* BlackSheep: Tommy is this in the start due to being a drunken wreck. When he sobers up, however, this position goes to Sam due to his asocial behavior brought on by the war.

** Isabelle gets angry at her father for favoring Maggie and tells him he should have stayed dead, oblivious to the fact he went through massive trauma and suffering (including killing his second-in-command) to survive and return to her.

** Sam and Tommy; the former being respectable and forthright and the latter being hedonistic and disorderly. However, this dynamic switches when Sam comes back from Afganistan.

* IWishedYouWereDead: Played with. Isabelle says this to her father for favoring her younger sister. By the look of her face upstairs during his outburst, it's clear Isabelle will hold guilt for this act for the rest of her life.

* SadisticChoice: The Afghans tell Sam either he beats Joe to death with a pipe or they shoot him in the head then shoot Joe. He chooses the former when he hears from their translator that Sam has a family to reunite with.

* RageBreakingPoint: Throughout the movie, Sam gradually becomes angry as he learns it the hard way how his family moved on without him, despite all the hellish experience in Afghanistan he kept his family from knowing. His bitterness toward Tommy who he believes cheated with his wife (they did share a kiss, but didn't actually go with it) doesn't help, but it's when his daughter, Isabelle, harshly chides him for favoring her younger sister that the whole situation finally pushes him over the edge, sparking his UnstoppableRage in the climax.

** Isabelle gets angry at her father for favoring Maggie and tells him he should have stayed dead, oblivious to fact he went through massive trauma and suffering (including killing his second-in-command) to survive and return to her.
* DrivenToSuicide: Subverted. Sam looks like he's going to shoot himself when the cops arrive, but then changes his mind.
* FamilyMan: Played with. Sam was initially the well-respected one to his family, but this changes after he returns to America as a mental wreck.

** Sam and Tommy, although after Sam returns from combat, the roles switch.

** Isabelle blatantly telling her father that she wished he "stayed dead," and that her mother would rather "sleep with Uncle Tommy." This is especially heartbreaking since he practically went through hell and back just to come back to her and her sister.

* MistakenForCheating: Sam believes Grace and Tommy had a sexual relationship in his absence. Grace and Tommy did share a kiss, but immediately regretted it.

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Sam reluctantly gives one to Joe with a metal pipe in order to escape from his captors, killing him.
* NoIndoorVoice: During his breakdown, Sam shouts at the top of his lungs.

* TraumaCongaLine: Sam gets captured by the Afghans alongside his friend and then is forced to ''kill'' said friend to get back home and return to his family. Once he does make it back home, he becomes anxious over Grace supposedly having an affair with his brother and then gets [[KickTheDog callously insulted by his resentful daughter]], in which [[UnstoppableRage he finally loses his marbles]].

-->'''Sam''': YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU?! YOU WHAT I... CHRIST! YOU WHAT I CAN FUCKING..- YOU WHAT I CAN DO WITH THESE FUCKING HANDS! ''GRACE!'' YOU FUCK! (repeatedly slaps his face with his hands) (breaks various things across the kitchen room) CHRIST, ''FUCK!''

* BlackSheep: Tommy is this in the start due to being a drunken wreck. When he sobers up, however, this position goes to Sam due to his antisocial behavior brought on by the war.

** Sam is clearly in deep anguish as he furiously thrashes the kitchen.

-->'''Sam''': ''[[SuddenlyShouting YOU KNOW WHAT I DID?!!]]'' TO FUCKING GET BACK TO YOU?!! YOU FUCKING BITCH!!! YOU WHAT I FUCKING ''SUFFERED?!'' AND FUCKING SUFFERED BECAUSE OF YOU! AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY FUCKING HOUSE AND MY FUCKING KIDS, GRACE?! (rips the refrigerator door open) YOU'RE FUCKING MY BROTHER, YOU'RE FUCKING MY BROTHER IN MY FUCKING HOUSE! [[AnguishedDeclarationOfLove I LOVE YOU, GRACE]]!

-->'''Sam''': YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU?! YOU WHAT I...CHRIST! YOU WHAT I CAN FUCKING.. YOU WHAT I CAN DO WITH THESE FUCKING HANDS! ''GRACE!'' YOU FUCK! (repeatedly slaps his face with his hands) (breaks various things across the kitchen room) CHRIST, ''FUCK!''

** Isabelle gets angry at her father for favoring Maggie and tells him he should have stayed dead, ignorant that he went through massive trauma and suffering (including killing his second-in-command) to survive and return to her.

* TraumaCongaLine: Sam gets captured by the Afghans alongside his friend and then is forced to ''kill'' said friend to get back home and return to his family, where he starts to become anxious over Grace allegedly having an affair with his brother and then gets [[KickTheDog callously insulted by his resentful daughter]]. Afterwards, [[UnstoppableRage he completely loses his marbles]].

** Isabelle gets angry at her father for favoring Maggie and tells him he should have stayed dead, oblivious to how much he suffered (including killing his second-in-command) to survive and return to her.

* TraumaCongaLine: Sam gets captured by the Afghans alongside his friend, is forced to ''kill'' said friend to get back home and return to his family, is convinced Grace started a relationship with his brother behind his back and then is [[KickTheDog callously insulted by his resentful daughter]], ultimately resulting in him [[UnstoppableRage completely losing his marbles]].

** {{Implied|Trope}} with Isabelle. She nervously looks down at her father's violent outburst, possibly out of guilt for brutally telling him off at the party.

* BlackSheep: Tommy is this in the start due to being a drunken wreck. When he sobers up, however, this position goes to Sam due to his antisocial behavior.

* BigBrotherInstinct: {{Inverted|Trope}}. Tommy is the most concerned for Sam's current state, as he tries his best to comfort him and even defends him from the cops who arrive at the house.

** Isabelle gets angry at her father for favoring Maggie and tells him he should have stayed dead, oblivious to how much he suffered (including killing his second-in-command) to survive and return home to her.

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. Sam kills Joe to save himself from the Afghans and return home. His regret over this is what leads to his incredibly unstable state upon his arrival.

* BrattyHalfPint: PlayedForDrama. Isabelle's brattiness towards her father at the birthday party is what instigates the latter's UnstoppableRage.

* {{Jerkass}}: Isabelle is a total brat who has no qualms against taunting her already mentally broken father.

* LargeHam: Sam sure knows how to ham it up when he smashes things believing that his wife Grace is cheating with Tommy. Creator/TobeyMaguire even considered this performance to be exhausting.

** Sam feels deeply remorseful for killing Joe in Afghanistan, thus he [[CannotSpitItOut has a hard time telling people about this]].

* SwappedRoles: Sam, the upright Army officer, is the responsible sibling to Tommy's drunken screw-up. However, Tommy starts straightening out his life, and Sam comes back from combat riddled with PTSD and unable to function.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Isabelle's callous remarks towards her father at the birthday party indirectly lead to his mental breakdown.

** Even after Joe gives them the message they want, the Afghans still force Sam to beat him to death anyway.

** Sam mistakenly believes Grace started a relationship with Tommy while he was in Aghanistan and presumed dead. Though they did kiss, they didn't take it any further out of respect for him.
** Isabelle gets angry at her father for favoring Maggie and tells him he should have stayed dead, oblivious to the fact he had no choice but to kill his friend to survive and return home to her.

* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: Maggie and Isabelle. Also, Sam and Tommy, although after Sam returns from combat they've switched roles.

* KarmaHoudini: Isabelle doesn't get any punishment for driving her father to a nervous breakdown and attempting suicide. Though she's just as affected by her father's return as the rest of her family.

* NeverFoundTheBody: News comes that Sam's helicopter has crashed over the water, killing all of the marines aboard. In reality, the Afghans have taken him and a hometown friend, Private Joe Willis, a prisoner in a mountain village. Only Sam ends up alive, though.

* ParentalNeglect: Sam starts to distance himself from his kids due to his PTSD. In turn, his kids start resenting him, especially Isabelle who spells it out to him in the harshest way possible.

* TraumaCongaLine: Sam gets captured by the Afghans alongside his friend, is forced to ''kill'' said friend to get back home and return to his family, is convinced Grace started a relationship with his brother behind his back, and then is [[KickTheDog callously insulted by his resentful daughter]], ultimately resulting in him [[UnstoppableRage completely losing his marbles]].

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Downplayed. Isabelle is about eight and later about nine, but apparently knows what sex is. Despite this, she lacks the maturity and emotional intelligence to recognize that telling her [[KickTheDog PTSD-addled father "he should have stayed dead" is incredibly cruel]].

* IWishedYouWereDead: Played with. Isabelle says this to her father for missing her birthday party and favoring her younger sister. Though he doesn't die, it's clear Isabelle will hold guilt for this act for the rest of her life (as indicated by her horrific reaction to his outburst from upstairs).

* BerserkerTears: Sam is clearly in deep anguish as he furiously thrashes the kitchen.

* ReplacementGoldfish: Subverted. Tommy and Grace attempt to begin a relationship while Sam is presumed dead, but don’t go through with it primarily because Tommy serving as a Replacement Goldfish proves to be too awkward. Sam’s belief that Tommy has replaced him drives much of the plot.

** Isabelle is angry at her father for "letting himself get captured" and not showing up to her birthday party, unaware of his horrific experiences during that period and thus being completely unable to do so. Somewhat understandable given she's only nine.

* PushoverParents: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. While she does tell Isabelle to stop when [[KickTheDog she dishes out cruel insults towards her traumatized father]], Grace still [[KarmaHoudini isn't shown punishing her]] like any other parent.

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Downplayed. Isabelle is about eight and later about nine, but apparently knows what sex is. Despite this, she lacks the maturity and emotional intelligence to recognize that telling her [[KickTheDog PTSD-addled father "he should have stayed dead" is incredibly cruel.]]