The Brothers Bloom Review – Brody, Ruffalo shine in quirky flick

Movie: The Brothers Bloom * Trailer * 2-minute clip * Official Site	In Theaters: May 29, 2009
Runtime: 113 minutes	Directed by: Rian Johnson
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, some sensuality and brief strong language	Gecko Rating:

“The Brothers Bloom” is a funny little movie, the sort of movie you might watch at an arthouse or indie theater, then walk away going, “Yeah, that was an interesting movie with great acting.”

It stars Mark Ruffalo as Stephen, and Adrien Brody as his younger brother Bloom. These two brothers have been con artists since they were kids, with Stephen orchestrating intricate stories for each swindle and Bloom playing the main character.

They work on their own except for the mysterious and silent Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi), a Japanese woman who showed up one day and has a penchant for blowing things up. She feels that once you’ve used something, you might as well blow it up.

But the brothers are getting older now, and Bloom is in his 30s and wanting to get out of the business. Basically, he’s losing his own identity in all the characters he plays. Stephen talks him into one last con, with the mark being an eccentric, lonely New Jersey heiress, Penelope Stamp (Rachel Weisz).

Her main pasttime is “borrowing hobbies,” learning to do things just for the sake of doing them and nothing else. A side note is that Weisz actually learned to play the violin, banjo, piano, accordion, break-dance, juggle, do karate, play ping-pong, ride a unicycle, and even skateboard for the role.

But as the con moves along, it’s difficult to know who’s conning whom, and there’s another wildcard: Diamond Dog (Maximilian Schell), the brothers’ former mentor who’s now out for revenge.

“The Brothers Bloom” has a 1940s feel to it, with cartoony chapter markers as the plot moves along and music that’s reminiscent of a vintage nightclub. I found the plot a little complicated, so you have to pay attention to what’s going on.

But to me, the movie is mostly about the characters, each actor lovingly enveloping their character’s quirkiness and eccentricities. And the old-world locations are fabulous, including Montenegro, Serbia, Romania, and the Czech Republic with their massive old buildings with lots of bricks and spires. “The Brothers Bloom” is definitely worth a look if you’re a fan of these types of films.

Photo Credit: Slobodan Pikula, TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved