The Brothers Bloom

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

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.

What a wonderful surprise: Yesterday my sister calls me and tells me that there's a new film by the director of Brick, playing at the Mill Valley Film Festival. "I'm there!"

Even before we get in the theater, I know we're in for a different experience. A pair of toughs with metal detectors wave us down for hidden cameras and demand we turn our cell phones off. I'm surprised we didn't have to take our shoes off. Endgame Entertainment certainly doesn't want any leaks.

Once inside, the director, Rian Johnson, shows up just before the show starts, fresh off a flight from Abu Dhabi no less. He gives a short interview with Mark Fishkin (long time director of the festival), coming off as a very charming, self-effacing, funny and unpretentious fellow. I like him immediately. Hollywood has not corrupted him (yet).

Like Tarantino, Johnson has closely studied films and makes constant references and nods to The Classics, especially from the 40s and 50s. Unlike Tarantino, Johnson writes more original stories and has good taste and far gentler sensibilities. Obvious influences include: Wes Anderson, The Cohen Bros, Billy Wilder, John Huston.

The film itself? Instant classic. It's got all the elements you could want in a Hollywood-style movie: Charming characters, plot twists, tons of gags, an incredibly beautiful leading lady, sumptuous sets and locations, and an overall sense "gee-whiz-isn't-this-fun!"

And it's classy, too. It doesn't resort to needless, sensationalist sex and violence. The writer respects and honors the audience's intelligence, a all-too-rare occurrence these days.

You could tell that the actors had a blast with the sometimes subtle, sometimes slap-stick script, relishing their characters' quirks and foibles.

Overall, Brothers Bloom almost manages perfection. It's one fault lies in the resolution, the last 5 minutes where it's tone abruptly changes for darker. Without giving anything away, I feel that it was too heavy-handed, considering the generally light and wacky spirit that had predominated. The rest of the audience seemed to feel the same way, given the hushed mood as the credits rolled. If the producers have an alternate ending up their sleeves, I suggest they use it, even it has to be somewhat ambiguous.

Otherwise, I'm happy to contribute to the positive buzz. I really think Brothers Bloom could be a huge hit, even a timeless classic.

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

This film is about two brothers executing the ultimate scheme to con a rich attractive woman.

I never thought a Rachel Weisz movie could be dull and senseless as this, but "The Brothers Bloom" really takes that trophy. The plot is dull, and it fails to engage me at all. The pacing is so slow, that I felt so bored after the first twenty minutes. They could have at least cut fifteen minutes of that and not affected the story. It's just far too long, with so many uninteresting and unimportant scenes in between the useful scenes. I feel so sorry for Rinko Kikuchi's character, as she is delegated to a replaceable prop, which actually could be deleted entirely without affecting the story.

As a con movie it is too slow and winding, as a romantic comedy it lacks the uplifting factor. In short, "The Brothers Bloom" is a dull mess.