Me, Tommy and the Brothers is one of those rare things...an indie drama that actually works! Most of the time, indie dramas tend to be a conglomeration of theatre students emoting waaaaay too much and performing a script as if they were on stage! Me, Tommy And The Brothers manages to make you feel like these are real people with real problems.

It's a movie that will make you rethink your relationships and appreciate them a bit more! It gets an 8 out of 10, because it's not perfect, the video quality is a bit off, due to the use of VHS technology, but this is a movie that's still worth the time and effort to see!

Growing up is hard...at least that's what I'm told, being that I refuse to grow up completely. But, if you'd like an idea of how hard it is, I've got a movie for you! It's a cool indie movie from Michael J. Carnevale, it's Me, Tommy and the Brothers.

Me, Tommy and the Brothers is the story of Frank, a fairly normal guy who still hangs with his college friends doing pretty much the same stuff they've done since college. We first meet them on an annual camping trip where the guys spend the weekend drinking and hanging out...you know, guy stuff. As we dive into Frank's life, we understand that he's got a job, he's got a girlfriend who's career is on the rise and he enjoys hanging with his friends on the weekends. Frank has it all, except that his girlfriend thinks he needs to grow up, which Frank disagrees with completely, it ain't broke, so Frank doesn't see the need to fix it...that is, until Tommy comes over late one night and announces that he's lost his job, and it's not his fault. You see, Tommy is that friend (that we all have) that's a screw up, he can't hold a job, nothing is ever his fault and he just wants to hang out with his friends, in other words, Tommy is stuck where he is while the other guys are trying to move forward with their lives. And, to top all of that, Frank's girlfriend hates Tommy, because of Tommy's influence on Frank.

As Frank struggles between his friends and his girlfriend, he discovers that she's pregnant, and when he proposes marriage, she announces that she's going to have an abortion! Frank, being a religious man, can't stand for that and the relationship explodes. In the middle of all of this, enter Tommy, who once again is in trouble with drugs and the police, causing Frank to explode and throw him out.

Tommy, seeing no end of his problems in sight, takes the ultimate step and kills himself. This is the final straw for Frank, who can't make any sense out of his life and feels responsible for Tommy's death. Frank throws everyone out of his life and begins a downward spiral of his own, drinking and even contemplates suicide himself. In the end, Frank must decide whether to follow Tommy's dark path, or pull himself together and grow up.

Me, Tommy and the Brothers is not unlike hanging with your own friends, there are ups and downs, these are all guys that you've either met, or seen in life, there are no caricatures here, every character feels real. The story is great, the acting is good and Mr. Carnevale has put together a really great little drama here. Me, Tommy and the Brothers will make you think about your relationships and how they're affecting your own life, it's a terrific movie with an ending that will move you to call your own friends.

I'm giving Me, Tommy and the Brothers four out of four cigars, it's not technically perfect, but neither is life! You can check out this great indie for yourself by heading over to Amazon.com and grabbing a copy for yourself. Trust me, it's well worth your time!

Reviewed by Rogue Cinema