The Brothers Bloom

I watched Rian Johnson's BRICK [2005] years ago and think it is a little bit overrated at that time, after watching this one, I feel quite satisfied with my judgement.

On the cover of the DVD it is written: A gorgeous, elaborate, beautifully shot, well-acted con movie of the highest order. I agree with most of it except the highest order part. In year 2008, what could we expect from a con man story? My only wishful thinking is that it would not be too banal. With Rian wrote his own script, maybe I am too harsh on it, however, I do love the first part of the film, then it arrived the worries, I was for fear that the bathos would come eventually.

Luckily the chemistry among four main characters are convincing, especially Rachel Weisz, she could literally light the screen and elevate the level of a film (another excellent example is AGORA [2009]) by her performance. Adrien and Rinko are stereotyped (sensitive man and mute girl respectively), especially the former, I do feel sympathy for Adrien's future career (PREDATORS [2010] is truly a great choice). As for Mark Ruffalo, I think he is a chameleon in Hollywood nowadays, and I wish he will take some evil roles, which will be very watchable with his innocent appearance.

I cannot say the script is corny but it's just OK, the problem lies in the imbalance of comedy and drama, which creates some uneasiness in the latter part. The trick is when one gets used with pitfalls, like Bloom in the film and the audience, one gets tired easily and just lost interest in the final "dramatic" ending, like death is always the only way to solve every problem. Another problem is that the intentional omission of several important clues (i.e. the plan with diamond dog, how Penelope manage to steal the book, etc.).

The cinematography is the highlight of the film, which saved it from anything but a potboiler, clearly it is not a masterpiece, but since it is a product of Hollywood leitmotivs, I would say it is enjoyable to watch it (at least for the first hour) and one word to Mr. Johnson, it is easy for a person to act smart, but it is not easy for a film.

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I genuinely had no idea of what to expect in this movie when I started it as I just pulled it from a pile of movies to watch, but I walked away positively surprised and satisfied. It was a really good movie. "OK", you might think. "So how come there are so many negative comments here then?" Have I lost my marbles or am I saying that all the negative reviews are wrong? Well, of course not. In fact, I understand some think this film was a turkey but I will get to that later. But first, as you may have guessed already, I thought it was brilliant and quite refreshing. I'll even be as bold in saying that they hardly make movies like this any more (and I can say that against the background that this review is written in 2020, 11 years after the film premiered). I found the film well scripted, excellently cast and the filming locations were selected and captured perfectly. In case it wasn't already obvious, making movies is an expensive business and the selection of filming locations have a massive impact on the overall cost of the film hence why so many films try to film outside the LA, California and US in particular. You want to use relatable environments so that the audience can connect to the culture, life and events that the director tries to convey in the film. And far too often we see movies filmed in low(er)-cost countries such as Romania, Serbia, Czech Republic etc and they just feel, well, cheap. Not here though ! Here they did this masterfully and every shot perfectly captured the soul of each location the way the director wanted it to be experienced by the audience. The trio in the leading cast (Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo) exuded confidence and realism and they truly lifted this intricate plot and made the story feel alive. Rinko Kikuchi's character, on the other hand, felt underdeveloped and could have been worked on more to add more depth to the story and this is probably my only negative feedback.....but, this is my opinion. And after all, a movie is the Director's work of art and it is not for me to tell him how he should express his own vision. But why did I say in the beginning of my review that I understand why some rate this film a turkey? The long and short version is that movie audiences have been spoon-fed crap movies for decades. Formulaic action/comedy/romantic dramas that certainly entertains while you're in front of the screen but are as forgettable as they are hollow. So after decades on an unhealthy diet of rubbish, the standards have now been set at such a level that the average consumer no longer expect that the entertainment value in watching a movie should be more than a fleeting encounter or not just 90 minutes of killing time. I know that this will be hard for some to swallow but that's the raw truth. Watch this film while not expecting the standard fast-paced action, tear-dripping dramas and mindless one-liners but expect instead honest acting, good scripting and quality movie making and you'll find that there is great lasting entertainment value in this film.

Rachel's role, Penelope, in The Brothers Bloom is far from her Oscar-winning effort in The Constant Gardener, but she elevates her role putting herself on par with Tessa Quale. Weisz steals the show here in a fun, energetic, elaborate tale, The Brothers Bloom.

You'll be bouncing out of you seats watching this film. The script is absolutely hilarious, the director moves fast keeping the material alive, and the performances are classy and strong, but what guides The Brothers Bloom (besides Weisz, of course) is the explosive editing. It's hyperactive, but not obnoxious. It's cool , fun and hip.

Like I've stated before, Weisz steals the show. Her character Penelope is one of the most memorable and well-written characters in recent memory and Weisz is up to the challenge of taking on that role. She's the most interesting character so you immediately take a liking to her. She's so adorable as the bright, lovely character, but the great thing about her performance is underneath all that lies great sorrow.

The rest of the performances aren't too shabby either. Adrien Brody is very good and convincing but it over-towered, by the other more colorful characters. Mark Ruffalo is charming and a ridiculous ball of fun. Rinko Kikuchi has almost no lines, but still gets big laughs.

There are dazzling visuals including some gorgeous costumes and set designs. This is a very funny film. Top that with the amount of energy and entertainment throughout, you're in a for a fantastic thrill ride. Not to mention the glorious performances, especially form the magnificent Rachel Weisz. A delightful thrill ride and the best comedy of 2009; 9

The Brothers Bloom unwinds the story of two confidence men, an Asian sidekick and their rich but isolated mark. The Brothers Bloom is a charming off kilter dramedy about love.

Bloom (Adrien Brody) and his brother Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) work as confidence men with their explosive sidekick Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi). Tired of the life, Bloom tells his brother he's done. His brother talks him into one final con against Penelope Stamp (Rachael Weisz.) Penelope is a rich, eccentric shut-in who has yet to live. They take advantage of her loneliness in a scam meant to satisfy her need for adventure.

Rian Johnson sees the world in The Brothers Bloom the way an archer fish sees bugs. The archer fish hunts bugs above the water's surface by shooting water at the bug from below the water line. When looking up from underneath everything looks like it is one place but actually is in a slightly different place because water refracts light, changing the view for the submerged. The archer fish has to see things slightly cockeyed in order to get the archery right. Rian Johnson took a slightly crooked approach to get the cinematic physics just right.

Penelope Stamp is the Robin Hood of cinematic archer fish. Everything about her life, her development, and her emotions are delightfully off balance. She isn't brilliant but she had dedicated herself to learning how to do many strange and obscure things. It wasn't good enough for Rian Johnson to make Penelope interested in pinhole cameras (a camera made by putting a piece of photo paper in a light-tight container and poking a pin hole in it to expose the paper), it had to be a pin hole camera made of a watermelon. Johnson made sure Penelope is beautiful, but by casting Weisz, made her an interesting beauty.

It isn't just the nature of the characters, but also how they talk. Johnson commits so fully to this strange-ified world, that dialogue that would warrant a call to the loony bin in real life, seems natural in the world created in The Brothers Bloom.

The downside to making the characters fit so naturally in their world is jokes or emotions that might resonate deeply in our world sometimes fall a little flat in The Brothers Bloom. There are no gut busting jokes but occasionally the audience finds themselves chuckling. Cheeks will not be soaked in tears, but occasionally a frog may find way into the throats of the viewers.

The Brothers Bloom is an endearing quirk-filled film sure to whisk the audience away on a flying crime filled love carpet.

I really liked the visual style of this movie and how it doesn't take itself seriously in a good way. It's a bright con film about two brothers that are good at what they do since a very young age, but the younger brother wants out. So his older brother convinces him to join him for one last con, with his assistant Bang Bang which fits her quite accurately. This isn't a serious or one of those dark movies about a con, so in another words it will leave a smile on your face. Plus I sort of cared what happens to the characters since they are mostly likable and has charisma, and found the scenario especially the visual style of this movie to be intriguing. It has a bit of the bromance, but mostly it's a romantic comedy with smugglers and should not be taken seriously in a good way of course. This movie really does have heart and a sense of adventure. Now I enjoyed Rian Johnson's past film "Brick" and I enjoyed this one as well, not as cool as "Brick" is, but still enjoyable. Especially how the main con, needs some fake cons to go with it along with it's witty plot. It isn't a waste of time or money to see this film. By the end of the film, with it's great ending I have to give this a...

8.2/10