The Brothers Bloom (2008)

After multiple delays in its release, The Brothers Bloom, a personally highly anticipated film from Brick's Rian Johnson, was finally released. In America. A place where I am not. I found it pretty depressing that I wouldn't be able to see this on the big screen, or indeed for several months until it comes out on DVD (I am overly affected by things like this). But then I went to Amsterdam for a weekend, and was left alone for a day after buying the wrong bus ticket. Lo and behold, a large multiplex, the likes of which I have not seen in months! And they play everything in its original language, with Dutch subtitles. And they are playing The Brothers Bloom! "Fantastic!" I think to myself. "Just because I'm on vacation does not mean I can't see a movie!" So I did. My life is riveting, I know, but let's talk about the film.

The Brothers Bloom starts off with a flashback in the lives of two orphaned brothers, Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom (Adrian Brody). As kids (played by Max Records and Zachary Gordon), dressed in matching over-large suits and hats, they engage in their first con. Stephen writes an overly-detailed flow-chart-like plan that ends in the local children giving the brothers $30, but also gets them kicked out of town. Flash forward two decades later to the well-known con men's latest success, and Bloom is decidedly unhappy with his situation, sick of living a "scripted life" as the anti-hero of Stephen's con stories, and opts to abandon the partnership, leaving his brother with their mysterious and taciturn sidekick Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi). Stephen reels him back with a "one last con" scheme involving lonely NJ heiress Penelope (Rachel Weisz).

Bloom will coyly entice her to travel with them on an "antique transport" trip, which morphs into an adventurous smuggling mission from Prague to Mexico for the Belgian "Curator" (Robbie Coltrane) with a rare ancient tome, using her money for various transactions. Stephen sees it as an opportunity to show a bored woman the adventure of a lifetime, so that taking some of her money really isn't so unwarranted. Of course Bloom and Penelope start to fall for each other, and he struggles with his loyalties. When the plan takes an unexpected turn, it's up to Bloom to finally cut through the lies of storytelling he's been living out since he was 10 and make his own way.

The performances really make this movie. Rachel Weisz is too freaking cute as shut-in Penelope. She reminded me a bit of a more socially-awkward Chuck from Pushing Daisies (you know, possibly the best show ever? Yeah, that's the one), with her penchant for referencing literature and extensive knowledge of foreign languages. She's highly intelligent, surprisingly motivated, and very likable. Adrien Brody also turns in a great performance (as usual) though I found his character slightly too whiny. Bloom is still pretty cool, but he sort of complains about the same thing multiple times, when it could have just been said once. That's more of a script issue, though.

I really like Mark Ruffalo, despite the weird or lackluster roles he often gets, and he is excellent here but underused. I feel like we never really get to know his character, which became frustrating by the ending. There's nothing wrong with a little mystery, but Stephen comes off as being a bit flat for most of the film. I'm not sure what the deal is with Bang Bang. She doesn't speak English so she just gestures emphatically when she isn't blowing stuff up or dressing adorably. I read one review that called her "nothing more than a hip, Japanese accessory" or something along those lines, and I can see from whence that notion stems. I think that despite her lack of lines she is still important to the story and has her own trajectory to follow. I wish we'd learned more about her, but so do the rest of the characters.

The Brothers Bloom has all the trappings of a movie I would really, really love, but falls slightly short. It's got eclectic clothing, three-piece suits and bowler hats, European travel, con artists, Adrian Brody, offbeat humor, Japanese karaoke, anachronisms galore, cool music, an unpredictable mixture of comedy and drama, and a really smart female character. These are all awesome things. However, the overall film just didn't add up to the amazing event it could have been, probably because it tried to do too much. It's still really good and definitely entertaining. Visually it's quite engaging, with some wonderful shots of the characters just interacting, combined with elegant exterior and interior locations. I also liked the concept of Stephen's addiction to writing stories for everyone around him to live out, and Bloom's seeming inability to escape a pre-thought-out life. Basically the film has a lot of cool stuff going for it, and hits the mark sometimes, but overall isn't as mind-blowing as I'd hoped. That's ok, though. Just sit back and enjoy it for the adventure and cute romance.

4/5

"The Fabulist" from the excellent soundtrack by Nathan Johnson, who also did the music for Brick. Which reminds me, watch out for cameos from Brick-alums Norah Zehetner and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (the latter's is very hard to catch)