Brothers From Malta Movie Review (2022)
A very funny indie about estranged brothers who are forced to take a trip together to help their sister, Brothers From Malta has its own quirky style and vibe.
Some of my very favorite movies are independent films. 500 Days Of Summer, Reservoir Dogs, Juno – they all started small and weren’t concerned with the typical constraints that a production company can place on a piece. The writers and directors did the thing the way they wanted, and were lucky enough to get a wider release down the road. So, when I hear that a movie is an indie, I’m typically interested right off the bat.
Brothers From Malta is about adult brothers, Joe and Charlie, who reside next door to each other, but have been estranged for 7 years. Living in Australia, they each get a call from their sister, Josie, that she is dying and needs them to be with her in Los Angeles. With Joe’s wife booking them tickets on the same flight, the brothers ultimately end up having to travel by car for an additional 6 hours with Josie’s dog and in Josie’s car just to get to Josie.
This is a very cute movie and I laughed out loud a lot. While the goal of the film is to get to Josie, what you’re really watching is the brothers dealing with each other.
Joe is always grumpy, complaining about everything, and heavily reminded me of Gus from My Big Fat Greek Wedding in the scenes where Gus was in a bad mood. It’s all played over-the-top and time after time, it would crack me up.
Joe is also “the eldest” in the family, and he reminds Charlie consistently. That means something in their family, and likely in their culture, but I am not familiar enough with the Maltese culture to make that claim. What is clear is that it irks Charlie, but he respects it.
Some of the funniest moments (although there were many) are in a California restaurant, where the brothers are discovering how large the portions are and reading about free refills on drinks. Joe is sure that it’s a scam in some way, but there are some excellent choices in this sequence and when I remember this movie, this is the scene that I’ll remember the most clearly.
Written and directed by Julian Galea, with the story and produced by both James Galea and Julian Galea, James also plays Charlie and Julian plays Joe. Their real-life sister, Liza Galea, plays Josie.
With a few home movies, a family heirloom, and a gassy, but adorable dog thrown in for good measure, Brothers From Malta is very short, fast-moving, and funny. The very end felt a touch too long (I thought that it had ended 3 minutes before), but I understand why they chose to conclude the way they did for the sake of the brothers’ relationship. Either way, you have to check out this movie.
Runtime: 60 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: Not Rated
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Available: Free on Tubi or Roku, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
