X
- 2009
- PG-13
- Summit Entertainment
- 1 h 54 m
- 2009
- PG-13
- Summit Entertainment
- 1 h 54 m
Summary For as long as they can remember, the Brothers Bloom have had only each other to depend on. From their childhood in a long series of gloomy foster homes to their highflying lives as international con artists, Stephen and Bloom have shared everything. Stephen brilliantly concocts intricate stories that the brothers live out, but he's stil...
Directed By: Rian Johnson
Written By: Rian Johnson
- 2009
- PG-13
- Summit Entertainment
- 1 h 54 m
- 2009
- PG-13
- Summit Entertainment
- 1 h 54 m
The Brothers Bloom
55
8.4
Where to Watch
Summary For as long as they can remember, the Brothers Bloom have had only each other to depend on. From their childhood in a long series of gloomy foster homes to their highflying lives as international con artists, Stephen and Bloom have shared everything. Stephen brilliantly concocts intricate stories that the brothers live out, but he's stil...
Directed By: Rian Johnson
Written By: Rian Johnson
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 26 Critic Reviews
55
50% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
46% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
4% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 26 Critic Reviews
55
50% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
46% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
4% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
The Brothers Bloom has it all: charming romance, jaunty adventure story, witty dialogue, gorgeous cinematography and superb performances.
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.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 154 User Ratings
8.4
81% Positive
125 Ratings
125 Ratings
10% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
9% Negative
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 154 User Ratings
8.4
81% Positive
125 Ratings
125 Ratings
10% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
9% Negative
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
The average critic review of 55 is an absolute joke for what is a fantastic film, with a delicate plot line which is serious but huge amounts of fun, the film is directed beautifully and has fabulous performances from a very talented cast. Definitely worth watching, several times.
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Never achieves the satisfaction of a real crackerjack con movie.
The Brothers Bloom is much more interested in showing off its own smarts, such as they are, than in challenging the audience's.
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.
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.
An overstuffed failure that mistakes sleight storytelling for dazzling entertainment.
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.
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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?
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No one does it like Johnson, not even the past Johnson, what witheld him previously, is now boosting him calculatively.
The Brothers Bloom
Johnson is my hero. Never has he disappointed me and neither will he- that's arrogont and stupid. The writer and director Rian Johnson has a meandering plan in his mind. And with an experience like his, he gets it right out of his vision just as it was anticipated. Light hearted summer spectacle that is not only entertaining but immensely witty. And these are big shoes to fill. Plenty have come and gone and tried to balance the good old drama and humor duo. Luckily, Johnson has an excellent duo, enacting as brothers for life, Adrain Brody as the sombre romantic and Mark Ruffalo as the dazzling mastermind are a perfect match to Johnson's dream. And this is to its most entertaining because he is a smart chap.
He understands the psychology that a genre of such puts an audience into. That state of mind is just as sharp as it would be when you are say cheating on an exam or actually conning someone- those are the only two things I could come up with. This self appointed police always, always tries to belittle any plot twists and turns. And maybe Johnson being one, being a fan, puts a spin around the whole game and manages to stay two steps ahead of you.
You can see him make moves, you can see him bluff, but you cannot catch him. The nuanced notions that you observe and speculate everything revolving around it is taken account in narration as well. And hence you get these little euphoric dose every now and then where Johnson discloses the curtains and the tail you think you were following was a practical joke. Back to zero. And it is that do over process that makes The Brothers Bloom a staggering display of proper character study.
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Rian Johnson's lesser work still has many things to like about it. Fun characters, really good performances all around, and an opening prologue that's written about as well as anything the writer/director has ever done. If only the story lived up to Johnson's usual standards.
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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.
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Production Company
Endgame Entertainment,
Ram Bergman Productions,
The Weinstein Company
Release Date May 15, 2009
Duration 1 h 54 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline They'd never let the truth come between them
Awards
Stockholm Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Chlotrudis Awards
• 1 Nomination
Satellite Awards
• 1 Nomination
