The Brothers Bloom (2009)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Despite strong performances The Brothers Bloom ultimately does not fulfill its lofty ambitions.
The Brothers Bloom Videos & Photos
Movie Info
When the younger of two notorious sibling con artists announces a plan to go legit, his brother implores him to carry out one last swindle in the eagerly anticipated sophomore feature from Brick writer/director Rian Johnson. Tired of a life on the run, a confidence man who has dedicated his life to the art of the grift decides to call it quits. Despite his plans to leave his criminal past behind, however, the reluctant scammer finds that his brother has masterminded one last scheme to claim the … More
| Rating: | PG-13 (for violence, some sensuality and brief strong language) |
| Genre: | Drama, Action & Adventure, Romance, Comedy |
| Directed By: | Rian Johnson |
| Written By: | Rian Johnson |
| In Theaters: | May 15, 2009 Wide |
| On DVD: | Sep 29, 2009 |
| Box Office: | $3.5M |
| Runtime: |
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Cast
as Bloom
as Stephen
as Rose
as Penelope Stamp
as Bang Bang
as The Diamond Dog
as The Curator
as Narrator
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LoginCritic Reviews for The Brothers Bloom
All Critics (149) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (97) | Rotten (51) | DVD (7)
It pulls the perfect con, which Ruffalo's character defines as a con where everyone gets what they want. The audience gets exactly what they want: A wild ride with an ending they won't see coming.
The Brothers Bloom is quirky and clever. Set in the present but with a perfectly judged retro feel, it looks fabulous too. Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi almost steals the film with her deadpan presence as Bang Bang, the gang's explosives expert.
Brick made for a natural intro to the more complicated, less laboriously arch observations of The Brothers Bloom.
Rian Johnson injects punchy, off-kilter fantastical charm into his playfully globetrotting film. It's like a cuckoo clock - precise, ornate and screwy-looking. But Bloom and Penelope's love - and resultant rifts - comes off as real-world collateral.
Sure, The Brothers Bloom may be the headline act, but it is the sisters eccentric that make the film.
The Brothers Bloom is inventive, but its relentless cleverness limits its emotional pull.
Audience Reviews for The Brothers Bloom
The Brothers Bloom is a film that is fairly average entertainment, a picture that had the potential of being a great movie, but comes up empty handed in the long run. I'm not saying that this is a bad film, quite on the contrary, but you do end up expecting more considering its interesting premise. I expected much more out of the film, and considering that the film was made by director Rian Johnson who would later helm the incredible Sci Fi action film Looper. Here he makes a good film that leaves a lot to be desired by the time the film concludes, and at times, the story could have been polished and there are things that could definitely have been improved upon. To me, it feels like the film managed to deliver and entertaining ride, but its potential is wasted on a script that could have been perfected a bit more before being made. I expected so much from this film, and it was a bit of a letdown. The Brothers Bloom isn't bad, like I said, but it should been much better as well considering the talent involved in the project. The Brothers Bloom is entertaining for what it manages to do, but by the times the credit, you definitely feel that something's missing to make this a film worth revisiting. Luckily director Rian Johnson has made a much better follow-up and with that being said, Johnson is a skilled filmmaker, but here he really should have focused on developing the script a bit more to make a truly memorable film. The Brothers Bloom had its heart at the right place, but for genre fans, they might want a much better film than this, and your expectations for this one should to enjoy something good, but definitely not great, and you might like it. I did like the film, but it should have been better.
Super Reviewer
This was my first exposure to the work of Rian Johnson, and I really wasn't sure what to expect going into it. As a general rule, I usually like caper and con films. They're not my favorite, but every now and then I like a film where there's lots of twists and turns, and quirky usually is a good thing too. I think this is quite decent, though perhaps a bit too smug. What we get is the story of two con artist brothers, and their escapades. When the younger decides to go legit, the older persuades him into one last con, which, as we all know, usually doesn't work out as planned. I really enjoyed the acting, and the costumes and set design were also fantastic. The music was nice too. Even though this film isn't bad, it's not really the greatest piece of work either. I can't quite explain or really describe its shortcomings though. There's just something about it that I can't put my finger on, but recognize it as being good, but slight. I still think you should see it though, at least once, as it does have some good stuff going for it while it lasts.
Super Reviewer
Although Johnson took a step back in the originality department, 'The Brothers Bloom' is a decent sophomore effort from the exciting director. The leads do a solid job of oozing charisma and their comic delivery is fine. The film is written with whip-smart dialogue too. The first two thirds of the film are only okay, but the plot and characters really start to pick up in the final third, with a satisfying ending. It seems you can usually count on Johnson for a solid payoff, as long as you don't become too bored by about halfway through. Substituting the neo-noir feel of 'Brick' for a quirky heist comedy, Johnson shows he is versatile as he is creative.
Super Reviewer
The Brothers Bloom Quotes
| Stephen: | Real sunsets might be beautiful, but they turn into dark uncertain nights. |
| Penelope: | Trick to not feeling cheated is to learn how to cheat. |
| Penelope: | Photograph is a secret about a secret. More it tells you, less you know. |
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