The Brothers Bloom

The Brothers Bloom is Rian Johnson’s follow-up to 2005’s brilliant high school noir Brick. Personally, I couldn’t wait to see what Johnson would do next. What he has done is take on the conman subgenre, and weaved it into a rich and very entertaining romp about two brothers.

The movie is about Bloom (Adrien Brody) and his brother Stephen (Mark Ruffalo), orphan brothers who bounce from foster home to foster home. Even as kids, they execute elaborate cons on their school friends for monetary gain and the thrill of spinning a good tale. Now though, Bloom has had enough. He feels like Stephen’s tales, while profitable and fun, are not real. Bloom wants to lead “an unwritten life”. So… one last con.

Their mark: reclusive, weathly, shut-in Penelope Stamp (Rachel Weisz). Stephen’s aim in a con is to always give all parties what they were looking for, and in Penelope’s case, this is adventure. So Stephen spins a tale of romantic adventure involving Russians and museum break-ins, set all over the world from Greece to Prague to Mexico. But Bloom sees something in Penelope, and love blossoms.

At times, this played like a Coen brothers movie. This may be unfair to Rian Johnson, but I think he should take it as a compliment. It’s cleverly written with lots of fun set pieces and witty dialogue. It’s very fast-paced, and races with our heroes around the world without stopping for a moment. We meet a slew of eccentric characters, such as the brothers’ associate-of-few-words and explosives expert Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi) and a phony Belgian curator (Robbie Coltrane). They plan elaborate schemes for breaking into a museum, sail to Mexico, meet the brothers’ old mentor Diamond Dog (Maximilian Schell), and much more.

I had a blast with this movie. The actors are all good, and I was especially impressed with Rachel Weisz in a role unlike any I’ve seen her take on in the past. Her character is playful and frivolous, like a little girl who has just discovered the many treasures of the world.

It’s impossible not to be swept up in their adventure, follow along on their travels, and wonder what exactly is a con and what is real (much like Bloom wonders). I warmly recommend this movie, and feel confident in calling it the feel-good comedy of the year.