The Brothers Bloom
Metascore
55 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 26 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 26
  3. Negative: 1 out of 26
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  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    50
    A couple of rather Dickensian supporting roles by Robbie Coltrane and Maximilian Schell fall embarrassingly flat as they are more creations of costumes and makeup than actual flesh-and-blood. But then the same can be said for the entire movie.
  2. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    88
    The Brothers Bloom has it all: charming romance, jaunty adventure story, witty dialogue, gorgeous cinematography and superb performances.
  3. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Jessica Reaves
    75
    The jaunty, energetic first 10 minutes of The Brothers Bloom are easily the best first 10 minutes of any film I've seen this year. And while the succeeding hour and 43 minutes doesn't hold up to the movie's opening scenes, the whole endeavor is still an awfully good time.
  4. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    75
    The Brothers Bloom with satisfy those with a yearning for lighthearted heist tales, comedies, and offbeat romances.
  5. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    63
    This movie is lively at times, it's lovely to look at, and the actors are persuasive in very difficult material. But around and around it goes, and where it stops, nobody by that point much cares.
  6. Premiere
    Reviewed by: Jordan Burchette
    63
    Weisz infuses comic complexity into the ensemble, which is at times genuinely funny.
  7. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    50
    The movie fails to add up to the sum of its laborious parts. There's no emotional investment in any of the characters, and you can see the writer-director's windup con coming a mile away.
  8. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    50
    Rian Johnson's film is a scam wrapped in a sham.
  9. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Amy Binacolli
    50
    Emotionally, The Brothers Bloom hasn't a trace of detachment or cynicism. Even if you don't quite comprehend the ending (there seem to be 12 of them), you'll still feel the wallop of its consequences.
  10. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    50
    Breezily enjoyable for about 10 minutes, until you realize the entire movie is going to be pitched at the same exuberantly manic pace. It's like being trapped in an elevator with a performing poodle that doesn't know when to quit.
  11. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Liam Lacey
    50
    The old carnival phrase "Close, but no cigar" comes to mind when watching The Brothers Bloom , a globetrotting heist film that starts off terrifically and then progressively deflates.
  12. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Stina Chyn
    70
    A little bit of screwball comedy and a lot of film noir, add a dash of suspense-drama, and half a dozen card tricks too, then you have the recipe for making The Brothers Bloom.
  13. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    20
    An overstuffed failure that mistakes sleight storytelling for dazzling entertainment.
  14. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Kimberley Jones
    67
    Never achieves the satisfaction of a real crackerjack con movie.
  15. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: M. E. Russell
    83
    Hugely entertaining.
  16. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    75
    This time we expect to be played, but the twist is that we're also touched -- which, the film implies, is the cinema's own form of deception.
  17. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Robert Wilonsky
    70
    Johnson has infused The Brothers Bloom with so much heart and beauty that one can and should easily overlook its discomfiting moments. The truth is, the film's even more profound and touching upon second viewing.
  18. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    70
    The Brothers Bloom is all about exploding forms, tropes and archetypes. But it's also a charmer, a witty sandbagging of one's resistance to fairy tale and a movie afflicted with a kind of comic Tourette's syndrome.
  19. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    50
    High-style goofballing and globetrotting can get you pretty far, but maybe not as far as Johnson wants us to go.
  20. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    50
    As much as you admire the stagecraft and the technical skills on display, when all is said and done, that's all it is: a fancy, not-quite-two-hour stunt.
  21. Slate
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    50
    Like Anderson, Johnson has a fine eye for color, great taste in music, and a knack for painterly compositions, but the world he creates is airless and ultimately empty.
  22. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    50
    It often seems precious and overconceived, its accumulating crosses and double-crosses as devoid of consequence as a child's backyard game.
  23. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Abele
    40
    The leads aren't only miscast -- Brody over-mopes and the usually wonderful Ruffalo seems out of sorts as a rascally schemer -- but interest in the con plot fades as the director's bag of tricks empties further.
  24. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    67
    Johnson sets viewers up for greatness, but ultimately offers much milder pleasures. The film isn’t an outright con, but it’s easy to feel a little misled by the end.
  25. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    50
    The Brothers Bloom is much more interested in showing off its own smarts, such as they are, than in challenging the audience's.
  26. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    63
    Even after the plot has left you behind, you still watch The Brothers Bloom with a smile, because the actors are so engaging.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 64 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. seancriswell
    4
    So your watching a movie and it is very character and dialogue driven. Then you suddenly realize that your favorite character in the film hasn't said a word. I would say chances are your not enjoying the film all that much. I sought out The Brothers Bloom after loving Johnson's Looper last year, and liking Brick quite well after that. Hopefully The Brothers Bloom will be a little remembered blip on the directors resume as his career continues. It is the story of two orphaned brothers who at an early age develop a knack for the con.

    In my opinion a good con movie is hard to pull off. First of all you have to make the audience connect with characters who are doing deplorable things because that is who your story has to center around. I think Johnson does this well enough. Secondly the con needs to be written so the audience understands it, but it fools them. It also must be believable enough that the target would be fooled as well. This is my biggest issue with The Brothers Bloom. The major con is so dull in fact that I had little interest in any twist that would come. Johnson also falls into the annoying habit of twisting the twist. When a director does this too often I don't feel pleasantly fooled anymore, I feel annoyed with the direction the story has taken.

    The Brothers Bloom does again show off Johnson's ability to build an entertaining world. The characters are entertaining, each with a distinct style. I enjoy Johnson's use of score and music where necessary. Johnson is a stylish filmmaker and that is on full display here. Overall this film just falls short in its story arc, and at the end of the day that is the most important part of a con film.    … Full Review »
  2. Critic2012
    9
    It has action, cheerful comedy, touching romance, tricky capers which are never what they appear to be, and a style of its own that makes the film a fantastic original that certainly deserves more acclaim than it has received.… Full Review »
  3. justnother1
    9
    Loved the story line, the directing, writing, photography and the editing. Gave it a 9 score because it genuinely held my interest. Adrian Brody and Rachel Weisz had real charisma and Mark Ruffalo was a fantastic foil. Great Locations too. What's not to like?… Full Review »
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