Half Brothers

Parents need to know that Half Brothers is an uneven bilingual dramedy about a Mexican man who discovers that he has a younger half brother when his estranged father dies in the United States and leaves his sons with a final wish: to go on a cross-country scavenger hunt together. Starring Mexican actor Luis Gerardo Méndez (in his first English-language leading role) and Connor Del Rio as the brothers, the movie switches from being a wacky road trip comedy to showing dramatic flashbacks about the father's immense challenges as an undocumented immigrant attempting to return to Mexico. There's violence and peril in those scenes, as well as some more comical brawls and chases in the contemporary timeline. Language is occasionally salty in both English and Spanish (expect a couple of uses of "f--k" and more of "s--t," "bitch," ass," etc.), and there are some heartbreaking moments in the flashbacks. Couples kiss, there's a bit of drinking, and the script includes stereotypes about both Mexico and the United States, but the film also encourages empathy, compassion, and teamwork between family members.