Nerdly » ‘Brews Brothers’ Review (Netflix Original)

20th Apr2020

‘Brews Brothers’ Review (Netflix Original)

by Rhys Payne

Stars: Mike Castle, Alan Aisenberg, Carmen Flood, Marques Ray, James Earl, Mike Mitchell, Zach Reino, Inanna Sarkis, Flula Borg | Created by Greg Schaffer

Scrolling through Netflix’s “suggested shows” section and finding a programme called Brews Brothers was one of the most unusual recent finds I have to admit… Tasing a chance on another Netflix original this turned out to be entertaining and a bit of fun but if I had to chance to, I probably won’t watch it again.

To start with, the characters are almost too relatable. I did see myself and people I know in the characters which at times did make the comedy even funnier as I know someone who would do something that stupid but apart from this the characters were all a bit boring. They are ordinary people, with none of them really possessing any features I aspire for. The thing with relatability is that the audience has to see themselves in the characters on the screen; but the characters must have something the audience want (money, confidence etc) and none of the people in this show possessed this extra quality that makes the audience want to relate to them.

At times it was as if I was watching a home movie of relatives or someone I know just being a bit silly which I don’t believe was the intention of the show. The only character I actually looked forward to seeing was Truffle, played by Flula Borg, who was incredible in this role. He was so over-the-top and ridiculous that it was really entertaining to watch. I have never seen Borg in a comedic role but I think he should explore this more as it is clearly one of his many skills.

Despite this, the actual narrative of Brews Brothers did grow on me the more I watched it. .. While at first, I thought it was a ridiculous and unusual series, I did actually enjoy the story arc running throughout. It was nice that the developers decided to keep elements of the show going across the episodes – such as the introduction of the monks and ideas about what it means to be a businessman – as this really helped add to the twist at the end of the story. This ‘twist’ worked excellently and I believe the success was because of the story bread-crumbing the developers had done all through the episodes.

Also Brews Brothers repeats themes throughout, making it easier for the audience to watch as they can follow along with the story more easily. Fundamentally the show is about two brothers who can’t get on with one another, enduring the twist and turns of owning a brewery and actually growing to make a great team by the end of the show. This was the happy ending I excepted but also the one I wanted and so that was really nice.

Brews Brothers is a show perfect for casual viewing and you don’t have to pay too much attention to it as it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The only other issue I have with this show is that the episodes are so short and a lot happens that someone the shocking or surprising twists did fall a bit flat. As the audience, you will listen to the characters talk and go “Oh she just ruined a secret” and then something else will happen. I, as a viewer, want the point of the drama to be obvious, otherwise why is it there?

Overall Brews Brothers is an easy watch and are pretty entertaining most of the time. It’s an easy way to spend a few hours and parts of the story are heartwarming. If you enjoy a more relaxed and subdued style of comedy then Brews Brothers is the show for you!