THE BROTHERS BLOOM Review
After months of waiting, I have finally seen The Brothers Bloom and it was worth the wait. I have two words for you: Must See.
The Brothers Bloom tells the story of two con brothers who decide to take on one last job. The mark: Penelope Stamp, a beautiful yet peculiar heiress. Unfortunately, everything doesn’t go according to plan and the brothers will be changed forever because of it.
Mark Ruffalo plays Stephen, the older brother, who comes up and writes each con, and Adrien Brody is Bloom the little brother, who has lived his whole life through his brother’s stories, and now wants a life of his own, unwritten.
The movie opens with the two young brothers going from foster house to foster house. We are witness to their very first con, which will define the dynamic of their relationship for years to come. The funny thing is before knowing which actor was playing which brother, I first thought that Adrien Brody would be playing the older brother and Mark Ruffalo the young one. Turns out it was the other way around and that was perfect. However, it really says a lot about the versatility of the actors, because I think both of them could have pulled off each part.
We then move on to the brothers all grown up and finishing up their last con. However Bloom doesn’t want to continue with the same life anymore, but Stephen convinces him to do one last con. And that’s when the story starts. Bloom introduces himself in Penelope’s life and changes all of their lives as a result.
The Brothers Bloom is a pretty typical con artists story on the outside, but on the inside it has quite a lot of originality from the directing to the storytelling. From beginning to end you are thrown into the brothers Bloom’s world and you almost don’t want to leave. It is a story of love, of living your life and going forward, but without the cheesiness.
The actors are so unbelievably good. I already mentioned how brilliant Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody are, but I have to say it one more time. Mark Ruffalo brings Stephen alive, it’s not a character anymore. And while Stephen might seem just one note on the outside, you can see all the emotional nuances that are going on inside thanks to Mark Ruffalo’s brilliant portrayal. As for Adrien Brody, he seems to understand Bloom’s character so well, that they mold into one. He plays every single emotion to the perfection. There is even one particular scene that stood out to me, some of you might have missed it, but I thought it was brilliant. At some point Bloom is at the bar of a hotel when an old enemy, of whom Bloom is afraid, comes to talk to him. When he hears his voice you can see a twitch in his face which is so discreet but at the same time makes you understand right away how Bloom feels about that character. It’s brilliant.
And of course the movie wouldn’t be what it is without the wonderful Rachel Weisz. Having been a fan of hers for years, I didn’t expect anything less from her. She brought out the lovable quirkiness of Penelope with such ease, it’s hard to believe she’s not really like that in real life.
It’s also important to note Rinko Kikuchi who plays Bang Bang, partner in crime to the brothers. While she doesn’t say much (actually I don’t think she says anything in the movie), she is quite the character.
As for the directing, there were some really great shot, and I just loved the way Rian Johnson decided to tell the story. I also have to say how much I loved their use of Cat Stevens’ song “Miles From Nowhere” at some point in the movie, especially since I am a huge fan of his.
And finally, to add to the fun, we experienced a small earthquake during the screening, which was an interesting experience. This is not even a joke.
The Brothers Bloom is now playing in New York and Los Angeles and opens in select cities on May 22. If it plays next to where you live, I urge you to go and see it, you will love it.
