REWIND : Brothers’ Uncomfortable Bond Dominates Center Stage : Like many films of the ‘70s, ‘The King of Marvin Gardens’ offers little in the way of plot and instead mines the mental state of its characters.

“The King of Marvin Gardens” opens dramatically with David Stabler (Jack Nicholson), host of a late-night radio show, telling his audience a story from his youth in which he and his brother sit wordlessly at the dinner table while their grandfather chokes to death. The story turns out to be a fabrication, yet it deftly illustrates the uncomfortable bond between the brothers that is the heart of the film.

Like so many films of the 1970s, “Marvin Gardens” offers little in the way of plot, instead mining the mental state of its characters who, typically, find it difficult to get their foot in the door of the American Dream. But Jason Stabler (played by Bruce Dern) has a scheme he believes will bring him and his brother fame and fortune. Summoning brother David to Atlantic City, Jason reports that he’s very close to completing a deal to purchase a small island off Hawaii and turn it into a resort.

That’s the dream. The reality pans out much differently. Sullen, cautious David finds his outgoing brother glad-handing his way up and down the Boardwalk in the company of two sometime prostitutes, played by Ellen Burstyn and Julia Anne Robinson.

Between an uncomfortable dinner with a pair of Japanese businessmen, playing “Miss America” in an empty auditorium and the vague, often-threatening liaisons with a local crime boss (Scatman Crothers), the foursome spends much of the time bickering. Despite being a unprincipled con man, Jason matches his brother’s intellectualism as they attempt to understand each other’s views on love, loyalty and responsibility.

Nicholson and Dern perfectly capture the devotion and rivalry that mark so many brotherly relationships. Between them is Burstyn, completely immersed in her role as a woman teetering on the brink of a nervous breakdown.

The film, finally available on video, may be as relevant today as it was at its release in its view of the mythical American Dream. Jacob Brackman’s bleak, cynical screenplay seems to reflect the ‘90s better than most current films.

“The King of Marvin Gardens” (1972), directed by Bob Rafelson. 104 minutes. Rated R.