This low-budget independent film concerns three Irish-American brothers who all live in the same house. They have seen their parents' unhappy marriage, and each is having problems in his own romantic relationship. During the course of the film, they talk about their moral choices, all trying to sort out right from wrong and do what is best. It's quite a talky film, and its strengths may have dimmed in the wake of the copies inspired by its success, but it offers something that few of its imitators do: it's a film about young people struggling with moral choices, not because they want a promotion or want to avoid being shot, but because it's the right thing to do. Neither does it take the easy way out, devoting considerable time to the befuddling options facing its protagonists and the consequences of choosing them. Thoughtful and absorbing, The Brothers McMullen is an American original.