DVD Review: The Brothers Bloom

There is nothing wrong with enjoying a solid "con movie" once in awhile. Some recent examples would be the "Ocean's 11", "Oceans 12", and for those who lost count, "Ocean's 13". One of my favorite "con movies" and one of the best of all time in my very humble opinion, "The Sting". These films sometimes let us in on the secret and sometimes they let us think we're in on it, but this genre needs to keep us guessing and entertained at the same time.

"The Brothers Bloom", lensed by Rian Johnson, giveth the con and then taketh away, only to do it all over again...and again. Considering the title one would think that this would be about two brothers with the last name Bloom, but surprisingly that isn't the case. This story is about two brothers, Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom (Adrien Brody) there last names never are mentioned.

Bloom was thrust into playing the role of a Con-Man at a young age courtesy of careful planning and plotting by his brother Stephen. As they progress in age Stephen continues to embrace the role of maestro, orchestrating elaborate cons and enjoying every minute of it along with his deadeye Asian girlfriend who answers to the name of Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi). Bloom on the other hand feels as though he has never really been himself, and merely a pawn in game after game being controlled by his brother.

Early on in the film the brothers skillfully begin to set up a filthy rich eager young woman named Penelope (Rachel Weisz) who lives alone in a fortress like mansion. Although Bloom attempts to distance himself from this world, his brother drags him back in with the greatest of ease. Of course the beautiful and very eligible sophisticate ends up as a love interest to one of the brothers and fills in admirably in the role.

The twists and turns in this film would confuse even M. Night wearing an Alfred Hitchcock mask, although said twists are both interesting and fun. You almost find yourself competing with the rest of the viewing audience as to where the multiple cons begin and end. However the amusement eventually gets tiresome and you can only ride the coaster a certain amount of times before getting sick to your stomach.

I can't put my finger on when this film ended but in my mind it was long before the credits started to roll. I found myself wishing for a tighter more polished version of this film because of the large amount of delight there is to be had. The film is easy on the eyes, as the characters bounce from such exotic locals as Montenegro and Serbia.

Johnson attempts to create a timeless feel which he achieves for the most part despite the bright yellow sports cars and cell phones. The film tries not to take itself seriously but seriously misses the mark when drama and emotion are needed. The acting really helps you throughout he confusing areas of the film. Weisz is refreshing as Penelope and plays the wide eyed rich girl with a wry smile. Ruffalo is likeable despite his incessant disregard for his brother's feelings. You believe that Brody really wants something more even if he can't turn his back on his family to achieve his goal.

A decent entry into the Con-Genre by the thirty-something Johnson and not a bad follow up to the much talked about "Brick". If Johnson can tone down the "Look at me" factor in his next film, he can deliver a movie both endearing and compact with enough dramatic action to put asses in the seats and keep them there.

Grade: C+