Movie Review: The Brothers Bloom
I don't know what's better...the fact that I was able to find the exact clip I needed for my explanation that's about to occur, or the fact that it's randomly subtitled in Spanish. We didn't review This Is It this weekend, because it's not a movie. I find it interesting that so many people were willing to praise the footage-hobbled-together-from-rehearsal-of-a-concert-I-wouldn't-have-been-interested-in-if-it-actually-happened-with-no-story-that-isn't-a-behind-the-scenes-documentary-but-just-shitty-footage-of-a-dress-rehearsal-of-a-concert. My take is, it's NOT a MOVIE. I use this phrase because I'm reminded of that line of dialogue from Joey on "Friends" when describing Rachel's cat. See below:
So, instead of reviewing the non-movie, Ben went to see Big Fan at the Dundee, and I finally reviewed The Brothers Bloom on DVD. I really loved the first half hour, and the rest was good if not great. Very enjoyable.
DVD Discovery
Bros and Cons
The Brothers Bloom displays blossoming talent
The first half hour of The Brothers Bloom is so relentlessly endearing, so pathologically enjoyable that it’s hard to notice it sliding into a tangential universe in which children wear bowler’s hats and Adrien Brody can bag Rachel Weisz. Writer/director Rian Johnson’s sophomore effort demonstrates a stylish whimsy exceeded only by his slavish addiction to film noir themes. Although the film’s payoff is only slightly less obvious than Brody’s proboscis, the who’s-conning-who-twisty-turny tale flirts with delightful and settles on exceedingly pleasing, reminding audiences that the beauty is not in the score, but in the grift itself.
The aforementioned charming-as-hell introduction reveals the sibling con artists as orphaned children via a voiceover from Ricky Jay, who ought to be congressionally mandated to deliver all opening narration. Character beats are symbolically thumped, as Bloom (Brody) is shown to be a romance-obsessed sad panda and his brother, Stephen (Mark Ruffalo), is depicted as a well-intentioned scheming mastermind. Stephen writes confidence games like novels, intersplicing nuanced subplots and metaphors in grand charades that bilk the unsuspecting targets while forming a cohesive narrative. This pisses Bloom off.
Thus, the eternally suffering Bloom, tired of the gamesmanship, longs for something real. He agrees to one last grift on a particularly appealing mark. Penelope (Weisz), also an orphan and eccentric heiress of a vast fortune, willingly engages in the shenanigans designed to liquidate her assets out of sheer boredom. Aided by their silent partner and explosives expert, Bang Bang (Rinko Kinkuchi), the brothers deploy a continent-spanning shell game in which no one is entirely sure what the plan actually is. Although the final resolution is more smoke than fire, it’s hard not to find a measure of satisfaction when Johnson pulls the nickel out from behind your ear.
Wisely, Johnson isn’t content to rely on his modestly clever writing and the exceptional set and costume design. Realizing that his primary trio of actors are possessed of potent personality, Johnson deploys each of their strengths like well-timed concussive blasts. Between Ruffalo’s knowing smile, Brody’s woe-is-me sunken eyes and Weisz’s downright devastating genuine giggles, it’s impossible not to buy whatever it is the film is selling.
That said, too often the script pauses to dole out information obviously designed to be used later. Cracking the foreshadowed code doesn’t require a degree in cryptology so much as it requires basic brainwaves. Not everything boils down to plot devices, and the characters certainly mature as the minutes tick by, but had Johnson added shock to the final proceedings it would have multiplied the effect to an exponential degree.
Sporting a playful score that would have been at home in an old west saloon, The Brothers Bloom is a lovely little ditty sung by a group more than able to carry a pleasing tune. In only his second time at the helm, Johnson’s career can now be firmly placed in the “future star” file. If hindsight reveals this film to be one of the writer/director’s minor works, we’re all in for something major.
Grade – B+
So, instead of reviewing the non-movie, Ben went to see Big Fan at the Dundee, and I finally reviewed The Brothers Bloom on DVD. I really loved the first half hour, and the rest was good if not great. Very enjoyable.
DVD Discovery
Bros and Cons
The Brothers Bloom displays blossoming talent
The first half hour of The Brothers Bloom is so relentlessly endearing, so pathologically enjoyable that it’s hard to notice it sliding into a tangential universe in which children wear bowler’s hats and Adrien Brody can bag Rachel Weisz. Writer/director Rian Johnson’s sophomore effort demonstrates a stylish whimsy exceeded only by his slavish addiction to film noir themes. Although the film’s payoff is only slightly less obvious than Brody’s proboscis, the who’s-conning-who-twisty-turny tale flirts with delightful and settles on exceedingly pleasing, reminding audiences that the beauty is not in the score, but in the grift itself.
The aforementioned charming-as-hell introduction reveals the sibling con artists as orphaned children via a voiceover from Ricky Jay, who ought to be congressionally mandated to deliver all opening narration. Character beats are symbolically thumped, as Bloom (Brody) is shown to be a romance-obsessed sad panda and his brother, Stephen (Mark Ruffalo), is depicted as a well-intentioned scheming mastermind. Stephen writes confidence games like novels, intersplicing nuanced subplots and metaphors in grand charades that bilk the unsuspecting targets while forming a cohesive narrative. This pisses Bloom off.
Thus, the eternally suffering Bloom, tired of the gamesmanship, longs for something real. He agrees to one last grift on a particularly appealing mark. Penelope (Weisz), also an orphan and eccentric heiress of a vast fortune, willingly engages in the shenanigans designed to liquidate her assets out of sheer boredom. Aided by their silent partner and explosives expert, Bang Bang (Rinko Kinkuchi), the brothers deploy a continent-spanning shell game in which no one is entirely sure what the plan actually is. Although the final resolution is more smoke than fire, it’s hard not to find a measure of satisfaction when Johnson pulls the nickel out from behind your ear.
Wisely, Johnson isn’t content to rely on his modestly clever writing and the exceptional set and costume design. Realizing that his primary trio of actors are possessed of potent personality, Johnson deploys each of their strengths like well-timed concussive blasts. Between Ruffalo’s knowing smile, Brody’s woe-is-me sunken eyes and Weisz’s downright devastating genuine giggles, it’s impossible not to buy whatever it is the film is selling.
That said, too often the script pauses to dole out information obviously designed to be used later. Cracking the foreshadowed code doesn’t require a degree in cryptology so much as it requires basic brainwaves. Not everything boils down to plot devices, and the characters certainly mature as the minutes tick by, but had Johnson added shock to the final proceedings it would have multiplied the effect to an exponential degree.
Sporting a playful score that would have been at home in an old west saloon, The Brothers Bloom is a lovely little ditty sung by a group more than able to carry a pleasing tune. In only his second time at the helm, Johnson’s career can now be firmly placed in the “future star” file. If hindsight reveals this film to be one of the writer/director’s minor works, we’re all in for something major.
Grade – B+
Labels: Adrien brody, Mark ruffalo, movie review, rachel weisz, Rian Johnson, The Brothers Bloom
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