John Singleton's Four Brothers: my review

I know. You're probably wondering how in the hell I had time to park my ass in a cool, dim movie theater and watch a movie. Well, I stole the time. I had a lightening-quick-two-day trip to New York this past weekend and found myself company-less and with money to burn on Saturday night. A friend from my old job saved my life and allowed me to crash on her futon (most comfortable futon I've ever slept on). It was nice connecting with a bit of my former life: someone who shared my plight and offered compassion and a tireless ear. Plus she was so sweet about all the crap I had to bring in to town to get colored, altered, changed, blah blah. I found myself wondering what kind of roomies we would've made. Funny to think about being roomies with someone on a trip where you're preparing for your wedding. But hey, I'm a strange cookie.

So, Saturday night I hopped on the A from Jay street rode that baby into midtown. The air was sweet out there. I could tell the Nuts-4-Nuts guys were out there raking it in. The smell hung in random doorways. The streets were packed with rushing vehicles. Everywhere you looked, there was activity. I bought my ticket to a late show and burned time talking to my father (who's a cool cat) until midnight on a bench outside a shoe store.

My personal observation was that the movie was a great "distraction flick". It's the kind of movie you wander into the theatre to see after you had a fight with your best friend or you take a date to see. It's not exactly heavy, thought-provoking stuff. Mostly it's tough guy machismo hyped to the umpteenth degree and complete with a snowy, blown-tire, skidding car chase. But I liked it.

First, the chemistry between the "brothers" was touching. Tyrese's character was distracted throughout most of the movie, but the other three were so into their roles, you wanted to believe in their plight. You wanted to see justice done for the heartless murder of their caring adopted mother. You held your breath through certain parts, fists clenched, butt numb from teetering on the edge of your SEAT!

Second, the eye-candy factor was through the roof. As a female, it didn't hurt to watch some aesthetically-pleasing boys swooping through the ghettos of Detroit with guns bigger than hell. Especially, Mr. Garrett Hedlund. Wowza, is he hot! And just like most females I am susceptible to Tyrese's rippling bounty of manhood and broad, boyish smile. Mark had me at "Good Vibrations" over 10 years ago. (Yeah, can you feel it baby? I can too.) And Andre Benjamin just has this sweet, gentle humanity about him. His personality makes him cute.

I'll admit it was mental junkfood. Nothing profound or "new" came from this movie. But for almost two hours I was caught up in this gut-wrenching, adventurous, fast-paced, suspense ride
and I didn't once try to read my watch against the glare of the big screen. That speaks volumes about my contentment to see the movie through to the end. If you've got an undesignated 10 dollar bill and aren't opposed to bringing your own snacks (the price of popcorn and a small soda made my eyes bulge), then I'd suggest checking it out.