Release Date: 05/29/09
A caper comedy involving two con artist brothers, Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom (Adrian Brody), whose adventures bring us back to the hay-days of Newman and Redford in both Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting….almost, but not quite. The sense of humor brought forth by Rian Johnson and the style in which he both writes and directs, reminds you of legends of the industry. Such as, Billy Wilder, Gregory Roy Hill and even the genius of today’s Wes Anderson. The Brothers Bloom is quirky, yet smart and works for me for the most part. But I’m afraid that the numerous plot twists, in the grand scheme of things, loses my interest during the third and final act.
Stephen and Bloom have been inseparable since their abandoned childhood. In and out of foster homes, consequently being kicked out of each, the brothers soon find themselves in St. Petersburg, FL. Where they finally find a home of sorts and their talents are aptly honed by the legendary con man Diamond Dog (Maximilliam Schell). Fast forward 25 years, Bloom is burnt out. More than tired of being just another character in one of his brother’s exploits, he wants nothing to do with the life of a con man. What he wants is an unwritten life. After Bloom goes into exile in Montenegro, Stephen tracks him down and asks him to come back for one final con. The last big score involves the “epilleptic photographer” Penelope (Rachel Weisz), who aslo happens to be an heiress to an estate worth a fortune. She’s aslo perfected the art of a deck of cards, juggling, juggling with balls, juggling with bowling pins, juggling with chainsaws, juggling with chainsaws while balancing on a giant uni cycle, ping pong and finally, playing the harp. The one thing she struggles with is driving a two hundred thousand dollar Lamborgini.
After Bloom’s charismatic entrance into her life, Penelope finds herself in the middle of, and the subject of the very con Stephen is trying to pull off. As Bloom and Penelope grow closer, in what turns into something special, her upbeat and enthusiastic personality gives her the uncanny knack in the game of cons. In the end, Penelope seems more like another one of Stephen’s characters in a scheme planned out. It could be that Stephen’s ultimate goal…his final con, was to give his brother the life he’s always wanted and never had. Then again it could have been part of Stephen’s actual con, but there, as they say, lies the rub.
“The day I con you, is the day I die.”
The cast, I thought, was amazing. Adrian Brody reminds us once again how it was possible that he won an Oscar for best actor for The Pianist, upsetting the great Daniel Day-Lewis for Gangs of New York. I still feel, after seeing both, that DDL should have won. Nonetheless, Adrian Brody proves that he is a great actor, yet I feel he should be appearing in more films each year. Mark Ruffalo, I can’t say enough about except that one day he will receive the notoriety and applause that he deserves. Always turning in fine performance year in and year out. Rinko Kikuchi, two years removed from her Oscar nominated performance in Babel, in her mime-like character, was actually really funny. But I can’t help but say that Rachel Weisz steals the spotlight from the rest of the cast. I didn’t expect this kind of role, or this kind of quirky performance out of her. She was a cute and innocent heiress and made a turn around to attempt to be Penelope “the con artist.” A refreshing performance from one of the most talented actresses today.
Rian Johnson is proving that he can be a great filmmaker. With his last film Brick, we molded a film out of two genres. He took the film noir genre, ala L.A. Confidential, and placed in the present day high school setting. Which in turn created a fresh take on a classic style. Here and now, with The Brothers Bloom, Johnson once again takes a classic style and mixes it with the present. Creating a film that has hints of greatness but falls just short.
IMDB: 7.9/10
Rottentomatoes: 68%
MovieWiseGuys: 7.0/10