Movie Review - The Brothers Bloom (2009)

New Thoughts: 12/9/09 -

I took another look at The Brothers Bloom this evening and I'm quite happy to say that it held up incredibly well. In fact, although I wouldn't say it increased its grade, I do think it's going to move up the ranks a spot or two. My same criticism still stands in that the final act seems a little drawn out...however, I appreciated the last 30 minutes a bit more than I did the first time around. That final act is really where the emotional oomph comes into play. Also, of note, while I still adore Rinko Kikuchi's Bang Bang character, I also came away much more appreciative of Rachel Weisz's Penelope. Expect to see her in the next Academy Awards Wishlist in the incredibly weak Supporting Actress category.

Originally Posted 6/5/09

Starring Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, and Rinko Kikuchi
Written and Directed by Rian Johnson

After the debacle of The Limits of Control, heading up north to Pennsylvania to see a movie was not something I thought I'd rush to do again. But, for some reason or another, I really wanted to see this flick despite the fact that its release was delayed for quite a long time -- and that's usually never a good sign. Fortunately, this movie proved to be quite winning.

Ever since they were little, brothers Stephen and Bloom were con men. From what I can tell, they never really harmed anyone, but they definitely were smart guys who were able to pull off (more than once) a great con, resulting in big paydays. Younger brother Bloom (Brody), however, wants to call it quits. He's tired of the life and wants to settle down. Stephen (Ruffalo) along with the brothers' assistant, Bang Bang (Kikucki), convince Bloom to help them in one last con -- stealing money from the incredibly wealthy New Jersey heiress Penelope Stamp (Weisz). Little do they know that Weisz is cuckoo and will be a much harder con than they ever suspected.

It rarely happens in movies that are so strongly character-driven, but every single one of the actors mentioned above is stellar. This is Mark Ruffalo's best role that I've ever seen him in [there I go, ending in prepositions again...]. For once, he actually brings some vitality to the screen, rather than simply moping around. Adrien Brody (who hasn't impressed me at all since his amazing Oscar-winning turn in The Pianist) was subtle, but, as the emotional center of the film, absolutely able to pull the audience in and have us root for him to get out of this double crossing life. Rachel Weisz is cute as a button (what does that even mean?) and was incredibly funny -- something I've never seen her attempt before. The final lead, Rinko Kikuchi, played Bang Bang with gusto, creating the funniest character in the film despite the fact that she only spoke three words.

Absurdity abounds in this flick -- whether it be a camel walking by in the background of a scene or Bang Bang shooting down a palm tree -- but it works wonderfully. While the comedy is certainly "out there," it's never too zany that it becomes unbelievable. That's a credit to writer-director Rian Johnson who, at least during the flick's first hour, is incredibly adept at directing comedy. His timing and his direction of his stars is spot-on during the first sixty minutes. However, during the film's last hour, the flick goes through one too many "emotional ups and downs"...the movie's over -- fooled ya...no it isn't -- that kind of thing (I must credit the "up and down" comment to one of my fellow moviegoers). It's not that the way the film ended wasn't "the right way" -- in fact, I thought the ending was exactly what it needed to be -- it's just that Johnson had already taken us to that emotional denouement (or at least what we, the audience, thinks is the emotional plateau) thirty minutes prior to the actual ending. Still, Johnson is quite an adept and talented guy and I absolutely need to check out his other directorial venture, Brick.

Another note here about Johnson: I love the fact that this movie was rated PG-13. He easily could've thrown in multiple "fucks" throughout and gotten this movie the 'R' rating that most directors would've. However, he keeps the film almost storybook-like. I didn't even think about this until I saw the PG-13 on the poster above, but this makes me love the movie even more.

I'll be honest here -- I'm jumping back and forth between a B and B+ on this one. The acting was top-notch. Absolutely the best cast in any film I've watched this year (and I honestly think it'll be tough for any cast to match the talent here in the upcoming months). But as I mentioned above, the film is not without a flaw. I need to give the flick a little more time to settle down, but for now, I'm gonna go with the rating below. In all likelihood, the rating below is gonna stick.

Definitely go check this out if it comes to your area. It boggles my mind that they didn't give this one a semi-wide release (why not 500 screens?). It's not too "indie" to appeal to the masses. People are unfairly (in my opinion) comparing this to Wes Anderson's work in terms of its quirkiness and comedic style (The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore). While I liked those two aforementioned films, I never laughed out loud in them as I did in Brothers Bloom. By far, the funniest movie released this year.

The RyMickey Rating: B+