MUBI

This movie is a con.

THE BROTHERS BLOOM purports to be a heist movie, a “who’s conning who?” trick, an homage to George Roy Hill’s THE STING (1973) or Frank Oz’s DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (1988).

But BLOOM is actually a film about how people form their life narratives…how and why we write the stories of our lives.

Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom (Adrien Brody) have been con-men since childhood. Now, they’re all grown up. And Bloom has had enough. He wants out. And his big brother has a plan…an intricately plotted, magnificent plan…one last con.

Only…Bloom falls for the “mark,” beguiling American heiress, Penelope (Rachel Weisz). And all bets are off.

Fans of Rian Johnson’s BRICK (2005) will recognize the director’s stylish directing and whip-smart writing from frame one. Indeed, Johnson is the star of this feel-good travelogue (though Ruffalo, Brody, and Weisz are most compelling). Johnson is spinning a yarn about spinning yarns. And his conclusion—that “there’s no such thing as an unwritten life….only poorly written ones.”—is inspiring.

BLOOM is a fascinating, quickly-paced film that occasionally slows in its good-natured quirkiness. And yet, the sum of its parts is more rewarding than most of its con-film predecessors.

“There is no such thing as an unwritten life, only a badly written one.”
~ Penelope Stamp (The Brothers Bloom)

If there’s anything I can say about Rian Johnson after now having seen two of his films, I can say without a doubt that the guy is fantastic at taking things that are familiar and blending them into something interesting and new. Brick took film noir in the vein of The Maltese Falcon and popped it into a high school setting, drumming up a fresh concoction. The trailers for Brick made it look like another smug faux-indie affair with a color scheme, but the film itself surprised me. I remember the trailer for The Brothers Bloom evoking a similar reaction from me, with it’s visual style clearly drawing from Wes Anderson’s, but I saw Johnson’s name on it and decided it was one I should see. Here we have Adrien Brody as Bloom and Mark Ruffalo as Stephen, a pair of “gentleman thieves” who con people out of vast sums of money via elaborate stories and set-ups revolving around a hapless rich person. Stephen is the writer and mastermind, creating scenarios that Bloom describes as reminiscent of Russian literature that usually end in a burst of violence that could be best described as Quentin Tarantino meets Wes Anderson. Bloom is always the protagonist in Stephen’s stories, a role Bloom has grown weary of, as he longs for “an unwritten life,” though his definition of such a life involving drinking himself stupid whilst chomping a cigar in a hammock in Montenegro. In the grand tradition of the heist movie (if you could call this one), Stephen convinces Bloom to embark on one last job, a con involving an eccentric rich shut-in (Rachel Weisz). Unfortunately Bloom isn’t used to cons centering around women, and of course, begins to fall for the odd lady. Or at least we are meant to think so.

The Brothers Bloom has a lot to offer, it’s visual style, though derivative, is still rich and tasty. Adrien Brody has a face born for film, he has a haunted, forlorn presence that works well in dramas like The Pianist, but also in dry comedies like this one and The Darjeeling Limited. Mark Ruffalo is a warm counterpart to Brody, and Rachel Weisz is always at top form. The concept of thieves conning their victims by surrounding them with an elaborate story that is acted out like a play is an incredibly fun and interesting one. The problem with the movie is that the characters and concept combined just doesn’t take. There is a point in the movie where Stephen’s story reaches its conclusion, and it feels like the movie does too. But alas, The Brothers Bloom is one of those movies like A.I. or Return of the King that doesn’t exactly know how to end itself, and this is especially troubling when there cons upon cons going on and the audience itself is getting conned at the same time, which isn’t exactly a bad thing, but in this movie’s case it causes the audience and the characters to go out of sync, and the final act feels tacked on to boot. While the colors on the screen pop and shimmer, the film’s story lacks polish, it’s as though Johnson wasn’t sure if he wanted to trick the audience, trick the characters, or try to do both, and what results is a movie that isn’t sure where to go, leaving me chilly by the time everything is finally said and done. That said, I was charmed by The Brothers Bloom, it’s an interesting failure, which I always say is something I’d rather see than something formulaic, average, and yet successful in its aims. It would seem The Brothers Bloom have conned me as well, they sold me a bill of goods I know in my heart of hearts is rubbish, but I’m taking it home anyway because I like the con-men so much.

I find it surprising that so many people had “expectations” about this film. Did everyone forget how campy Brick was? I don’t even know its being called a masterpiece, not to say that Brick was a bad film, but a mash-up of Noir, High School, and Cowboy Bebop is many things but oh so grandiose. I really enjoyed this film more than I could say about Brick, but like Brick, it is campy, has references to film culture, built on style, predictable to some extent, and relies on a forgiving audience. I found the acting on par with something like this and didn’t take it so seriously. The visuals of the film are well made with nothing felt wasted even thou the pacing might have been off towards the end. While Brick was made with a atmosphere of mystery and noir, this movie had one of con-men, slight of hand word-play and the sensation of playing a carefree game of truth or dare. All and all it is a fun movie to watch with some highly memorable scenes, unique charm, and yes I don’t think it’s cheap Wes Anderson knock off, I blame that on dismissive labeling, and solid story arch. Definitively recommended, just don’t go nuts over all the literary allusions.

BTW—Did anyone make a connection that Bloom and Stephen are the same guy… just throwing it out there…

Excuse my pun, please! But bad puns aside, the fact is that about four days after watching Rian Johnson’s follow-up to his masterwork Brick I can’t shake it’s scenes from the forefront of my overactive mind. We all knew it was going to be hard to beat such an astoundingly assured and nuanced debut feature, and when news came out that Johnson’s second film would be a con-men caper comedy, I’m sure skeptics rejoiced. But the fact is this movie is more than a comedy and is a gem and a wonder to behold multiple times. The story concerns two brothers in both life and vocation as con-men. Bloom, the contemplative younger brother who wants out (Adrien Brody) and Stephen (Mark Ruffalo), the elder go-getter who is obsessed with living the plot twists he writes himself and strives to be a step ahead of everyone including himself. Bloom has quit the business of globe-trotting con-execution they perform with the assistance of silent confidant Bang Bang (Rinko Kicuchi, always beautifully sublime). Stephen has tracked him down to bring him back for the ever-elusive and notorious “one last job”. Heard this before? It doesn’t matter. The film looks so good (especially in a scene involving Brody giving a monologue in front a blazing bookcase and boat scenes with Wes Andersonesque costumes) and the characters are so engrossing throughout the film that the overdone basic plot points are forgotten and before you know it they have made way for the film to take you across the world for twists and adventures you really didn’t see coming. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Enter Rachel Weisz as Penelope Stamp, the beautiful yet categorically eccentric New Jersey heiress the “last job” requires conning. All four actors bring it to a an entirely new level at this point (and make room for a scene-stealer from Robbie Coltrane) and along with Johnson’s gleeful pursuit of both his own directorial and his character’s excessive dreams, dazzle you to the point of seeing stars.
The acting really is superb, all four showing expert comedy chops some viewrs may not have known they had going in. Brody clearly learned a thing or two from his work with Anderson in The Darjeeling Limited as he perfects a low-key comedic persona that is mopey when need be, sufficiently pensive, and prone to the best of violent blow-ups. Ruffalo is a man of infinite charm, and turns in his best work since an overlooked supporting role in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. He is positively magnetic, and his performance puts a film on his back that really didn’t need the help, making it all the better.
The Brothers Bloom is a stunner, at times a display of fine art, a class in high-brow comedy, and at many times a masterful action caper for the lovers of indie film. It is also an A+ example of chemistry between two male leads. And don’t worry Brick fans, twists and turns abound. But what’s great about watching Johnson grow as a director is that as the scope of his films grow in massive quantities, his desire to surprise you doesn’t compromise his ability to make a great well-rounded film. The Brothers Bloom will leave you stunned and gasping for more when it’s over. Four days later, I’m still reeling. And four days later, I wish I wasn’t broke so I could buy it and watch it again.