The Brothers Bloom [Blu-ray] | ![The Brothers Bloom [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-KENWR27L._SL500_.jpg) | Director: Rian Johnson
Actors: Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo
Studio: Summit Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $34.99
Buy New: $19.98
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Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 4809
Format: NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Blu-ray
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 113 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.5
MPN: SUMBR66111120
UPC: 025192038402
EAN: 0025192038402
ASIN: B002J1RZH4
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: January 12, 2010 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (summit) Release Date: 09/29/2009 Rating: Pg13
Amazon.com
Writer-director Rian Johnson’s The Brothers Bloom has a lot going for it, like an excellent cast doing good work, fabulous locations, a sumptuous look, and some interesting ideas in a genre that’s rife with possibilities. Somehow, though, the film is a whole that’s less than the sum of its parts. We meet siblings Stephen and Bloom, the products of numerous foster homes, at ages 13 and 10, respectively, as they’re starting to develop the skills and savvy that will help them become the full-blown scam-meisters they are when we meet up with them in their thirties (with Mark Ruffalo taking over as Stephen and Adrien Brody as Bloom). It seems Bloom wants to pack it in and live "an unwritten life" free of his brother’s elaborate schemes. But Stephen, who is now accompanied by a sidekick named Bang Bang (Babel’s Rinko Kikuchi, in an amusing, mostly silent performance as what Stephen refers to as "our fifth Beatle"), convinces his younger brother to take part in one last swindle, this one targeting the filthy rich Penelope Stamp (Rachel Weisz), who lives alone in what’s described as the biggest house on the eastern seaboard. Penelope’s an oddball, to say the least, having overcome a sickly childhood and become a master hobbyist whose skills rage from origami and playing six or eight instruments to riding a unicycle while balancing two chainsaws. Posing as antiquities dealers, the brothers pull her into a scheme that takes the trio all over the world (Greece, Prague, Montenegro, St. Petersburg, Mexico). Needless to say, complications ensue. Penelope turns out to be pretty good at the con game herself; what’s more, we know from the moment Stephen warns Bloom not to fall in love with her that he’ll quickly do exactly that. For sure, The Brothers Bloom has its high points, with surreal touches and amusing moments that help counterbalance its fairly arch overall tone. But in the end, it feels as if Johnson is trying too hard, sacrificing character for cleverness, and it’s the audience--even those who enjoy and are adept at sorting through the various clues and red herrings to figure out what’s supposedly really happening--that feels conned, or at least finds it difficult to care. --Sam Graham
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 28
 Stylish But Self-Absorbed February 10, 2010
Tsuyoshi (Kyoto, Japan)
"The Brothers Bloom" starts with a prologue about a pair of orphans Stephen and Bloom, and their first attempt to swindle money ($ 30) from the rich kids in the neighborhood. Stephen says, without irony perhaps, "The perfect con is one where everyone involved gets just the thing they wanted." The long introductory part, narrated by Ricky Jay, sets the tone of "The Brothers loom" directed by Rian Johnson, which some describe as "post-modern caper film."
25 years later, we meet the grown-up "brothers" again, now pro con artists. But Bloom (Adrian Brody) quits, saying he is tired of his con business, only to join the team again for the last time. Stephen (Mark Ruffalo), Bloom, and a Japanese explosive expert "Bang Bang" (Rinko Kikuchi) plan to pull a con on a mega-billionaire Penelope (Rachel Weisz), who seems very weary of her boring life. This time, however, one thing is different. Bloom falls in love with her for real. .
"The Brothers Bloom" is not about elaborate con tricks pulled by the brothers. It is about the characters and the interactions between them, especially about Bloom, Stephen and Penelope. However, the film, which looks as self-absorbed as its characters themselves, goes on forever. The film is not without whimsical charms, but despite the best efforts from Adrian Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rinko Kikuchi and Rachel Weisz (she is just brilliant here), I find it very hard to connect to any of the characters on the screen.
With silly costumes and too many twists, "The Brothers Bloom" tries to be so quirky when it doesn't need to. It has a style that tries too hard to impress. Beautifully shot and well-acted, "The Brothers Bloom" is about characters and events stylishly described, characters and events we don't care much.
 Movie was just hard to watch January 4, 2010
El Jimmy (Miami, Florida)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Rented this movie, thankfully I rented it! I'm wondering why its coming out on Bluray way after the regular dvd format. Anyway, the movie tries way too hard to be smart, and some of it was creative, but it just lacked that one important thing that keeps the audience interested: Entertainment! Its a shame, I all three actors, but just the way the movie did not flow right, trying to be funny in places when it was not, it was just downright boring. I'll be honest, I thought it was so bad I didn't finish it.
It did however remind me of an older movie about two con artists, which was funny and entertaining, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine. I do not recommend the Brothers Bloom movie.
 Depressingly forgettable December 31, 2009
One-Line Film Reviews (Easton, MD)
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
The Bottom Line:
I love movies about con men and I loved Brick (director Johnson's first film) but I have to report that The Brothers Bloom (which I actually saw in theaters no less) is a bland, boring film enlivened only by Rinko Kikuchi's performance as Bang Bang; though the film is by no means terrible, it has so little to recommend it that I would easily rather watch an amusingly bad movie (like anything with Dolph Lundgren in it) than suffer through The Brothers Bloom again.
2/4
Wes Anderson-lite. A charming cast in a tone-deaf movie. December 28, 2009
RMurray847 (Albuquerque, NM United States)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Whether you love or hate the movies of Wes Anderson, you have to admit that his films have a style and tone that is nearly unmistakable (I happen to love his films). His movies have a combination of quirky humor, odd and melancholy characters, and frequently unexpected sad twists. The camera work is almost deliberately obtrusive, as though he wants you to be very aware that you're looking at people...rather than JOINING them. I find his tone of sadness and intelligent, cynical humor to be engaging...but I also recognize that it leaves a lot of people cold.
I now have a better understanding of that side of Anderson after seeing THE BROTHERS BLOOM (not directed by Anderson). Writer/director Rian Johnson (BRICK...also stylistically pushy) has crafted a movie with the morose characters and amusing plot leading to some heartbreak with which Anderson has lately been identified. His characters dress in unorthodox manners and live in a world disconnected from what we think of as familiar. But the film has a loose, flabby feel and sometimes when it wants to indulge in "feelings" it forgets to keep moving. There are certainly moments of fun, particularly early on...but in the end, it was an unsatisfying journey.
Stephen (the elder) and his brother Bloom (the younger) spend their childhoods drifting from one foster home to another. These are smart boys, but eager to put their smarts to less than honest works. While Bloom would clearly like to just be a nice, shy boy leading a normal if bookish life...Stephen has a reckless energy (and a keen desire to make his brother something more) and uses this intelligence to devise elaborate con games. Bloom is reluctant, but as it turns out, very good. Stephen is the scriptwriter and supporting actor, but Bloom is always the star.
They grow up and eventually in their late 30's they grow apart. Or rather, Bloom dumps his brother to go live a solitary, sad life, thinking about all the people whose emotions he's manipulated in order to take their money. Naturally, Stephen finds him and sets up the story of "one last con." Bloom reluctantly agrees. They are going to steal millions from lonely heiress Penelope (Rachel Weisz)...but it turns out not to be so easy, because Penelope is eager to get involved in shenanigans herself. As they travel the world, it's not always clear who is double crossing whom, nor is it clear who is feeling what for whom. We think, from time to time, that Bloom is REALLY falling for Penelope...or he might be a really good actor.
I won't hint at more of the plot, but I will say that the con itself was not very elaborate or satisfying. I had expected the film to have a more THE STING-like complexity...but really the events play out in a very linear fashion that did not leave me impressed. Even the "twist" ending was nothing terribly surprising. I realized then, that writer/director Johnson had more on his mind than the plot...he was doing a character study. However, he mostly showed us behaviors and nothing very deep about the inner workings of the characters.
Bloom (Adrien Brody...doing his best "sad sack") is clearly a man in turmoil over his lifestyle. That was the one emotion I could really connect to and understand. Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot else to him. In one scene, he steals an apple and makes an attempt to escape, and we see the joy on his face at the delight of running through beautiful fields of flowers with angry folks chasing him. It was a return to the simpler times of his childhood...and a lovely scene. One of too few. Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) is much more of a cipher. He's the big brother. He's the schemer who can't imagine any other life than that of a con artist. He doesn't seem to get how his brother feels or to feel guilty about what he does...yet apparently he is a keen observer of human behavior. Ruffalo does fine in the role, but the script has truly relegated him to the background much of the time. Weisz is a delightful oddball. Not a convincing "real life" person...but she has an expressive face and a bumbling physicality that was surprising coming from her. I enjoyed her performance, even as I realized that I wasn't actually terribly interested in Penelope. I think I was enjoying Weisz having a lark more than I was enjoying her creating a flesh and blood character.
Stephen and Bloom (it's never explained why the film is called THE BROTHERS BLOOM...doesn't that imply this is their last name? Perhaps Bloom has never gone by his first name? Who knows?) are assisted in their cons by Bang Bang, a Japanese explosives expert who hardly makes a sound. She's played with great style by Rinko Kikuchi (BABEL), but again, is not for one second a believable person...she's an amusing idea and Kikuchi is having a blast playing her.
The film frequently turns "serious" and then wants to be lighthearted again. What it doesn't seem to understand is that sometimes BOTH tones can exist in the same scene. Something Anderson does well, and something Johnson can't manage.
The film is also shot in a very dark, muted palette. The main characters wear mostly black, white and gray. The cities around them (Montenegro, Prague, etc.) all are the same muddy color, and the sky always looks like rain is just around the corner. It was, to be blunt, a somewhat ugly film to look at. For one extended period, Penelope finally wears some color, but it's a horrid orange serape sort of thing that makes Weisz look like a big ochre block with a head. I can appreciate muted palette's and such...but all the efforts at light-hearted fun have most of the fun leached from them by the dark atmosphere.
THE BROTHERS BLOOM did have its sporadic moments of fun. Weisz works really hard and Brody & Ruffalo are always pleasant to watch. But I just felt the film was trying far too hard and missing the mark too often to get a recommendation from me. A disappointment.
One of the Worst Movies I've Ever Seen December 27, 2009
ROBERT SMITH (Irving, Texas United States)
0 out of 15 found this review helpful
I saw this mess at AFI Dallas. Ridiculous plot -- it made no sense. Horrible acting. Even worse writing. I would have left after 20 minutes except that I was with a friend and sitting in the middle of a row. As the ending credits started to roll, we both bolted out of our seats. Quickly walking out the exit, we turned to each other and said at the same time "That was awful!!!!"
Showing reviews 1-5 of 28
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