The Brothers Bloom (2008)
Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 148
Fresh: 97 | Rotten: 51
Despite strong performances The Brothers Bloom ultimately does not fulfill its lofty ambitions.
Average Rating: 5.5/10
Critic Reviews: 35
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 18
Despite strong performances The Brothers Bloom ultimately does not fulfill its lofty ambitions.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 89,887
My Rating
Movie Info
When the younger of two notorious sibling con artists announces a plan to go legit, his brother implores him to carry out one last swindle in the eagerly anticipated sophomore feature from Brick writer/director Rian Johnson. Tired of a life on the run, a confidence man who has dedicated his life to the art of the grift decides to call it quits. Despite his plans to leave his criminal past behind, however, the reluctant scammer finds that his brother has masterminded one last scheme to claim the
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Rachel Weisz
Penelope -
Adrien Brody
Bloom -
Mark Ruffalo
Stephen -
Rinko Kikuchi
Bang Bang -
Maximilian Schell
Diamond Dog -
Robbie Coltrane
Melville -
Ricky Jay
Narrator
ADVERTISEMENT
The Brothers Bloom Trailer & Photos
All Critics (149) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (98) | Rotten (52) | DVD (7)
Watching this movie is like being elbowed in the ribs for two consecutive hours.
Top CriticThe Brothers Bloom feels different from any crime caper you've ever seen, even though its machinations still revolve around con artists who play tricks on each other -- and the audience.
It's all a con, but thanks to Johnson's way with characters and dialogue, we don't mind the hustle so long as we're rewarded along the way.
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.
It's not blockbuster material, but this clever picture is a romantic -- and genuinely amusing -- charmer.
Ruffalo turns in another take on his soulful smart guy; Brody's all loosey-goosey charm (watch how he plays a harmonica, with his eyes lazily sliding over it); Weisz make something poetic from her ditsy yet forthright character.
It pulls the perfect con, which Ruffalo's character defines as a con where everyone gets what they want. The audience gets exactly what they want: A wild ride with an ending they won't see coming.
The Brothers Bloom is quirky and clever. Set in the present but with a perfectly judged retro feel, it looks fabulous too. Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi almost steals the film with her deadpan presence as Bang Bang, the gang's explosives expert.
Brick made for a natural intro to the more complicated, less laboriously arch observations of The Brothers Bloom.
Rian Johnson injects punchy, off-kilter fantastical charm into his playfully globetrotting film. It's like a cuckoo clock - precise, ornate and screwy-looking. But Bloom and Penelope's love - and resultant rifts - comes off as real-world collateral.
Sure, The Brothers Bloom may be the headline act, but it is the sisters eccentric that make the film.
The Brothers Bloom is inventive, but its relentless cleverness limits its emotional pull.
We feel regularly discombobulated on the sea of this movie's ideas - which is a good thing for people feeling marooned by the general stupidity of this summer's film releases.
If Wes Anderson and Terry Gilliam ever had a child, science would be amazed and appalled. But also, it would probably end up making a film like this.
The eccentric humour is an acquired taste and the contrived story overstays its welcome.
Johnson's script and directing style suffocates the duo with too many cookie-cutter indie movie quirks, making it all too easy to spot the joins and lose interest...
It's one of those films whose fun set-up is terrific, only to be offset by the muddled plot. Still, there are some decent laughs amid the mess.
Sharp, funny and stylish, but still, something doesn't quite fit...
The effect is something like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels done by Wes Anderson in a morose mood, much as its creator would presumably resist the latter comparison.
Like his brooding anti-hero, Johnson keeps one step ahead and, at the same time, wears his heart on his sleeve. It's tough not to fall for such charm.
Oh dear.
It lags a touch towards the end and it's ultra quirky, but the artifice doesn't rob the finale of emotion. In fact, it delivers unexpected rewards.
Blooming good fun.
Perhaps you can be too cool for school and too clever for a multiplex, but if you're willing to go along with this, you'll enjoy being fooled so much that you won't mind it's all a trick.
Audience Reviews for The Brothers Bloom
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
-
- Penelope: Trick to not feeling cheated is to learn how to cheat.
-
- Penelope: Photograph is a secret about a secret. More it tells you, less you know.
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for The Brothers Bloom yet.
Latest News on The Brothers Bloom
May 22, 2009:
Nathan Johnson Talks Brothers Bloom ScoreDiscerning fans of movie music are already well acquainted with Nathan Johnson's quirky, absorbing...
May 14, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Angels & Demons Isn't Quite HeavenlyThis week at the movies, Robert Langdon is back on the case, investigating shadowy machinations...
May 13, 2009:
Five Favorite Films With Director Rian JohnsonWith Brick, Rian Johnson established himself as a filmmaker to watch. An audacious debut, it made...
What's Hot On RT
The Last Stand, Side Effects
Trailer for new Coen Bros movie
Fast & Furious cars gallery
Blockbusters ranked!
Featured on RT
- In Pictures: The Cars of Fast & Furious 0
- Digital Multiplex: Warm Bodies and Aftershock 4
- Discover the Best-Reviewed Films in Summer Movie Scorecard 2013 0
- RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: The Last Stand and Side Effects 16
- Box Office Guru Wrapup: Star Trek Softer Than Expected at #1 85
- Weekly Ketchup: Will Smith to Star in Wild Bunch Remake? 39
- Critics Consensus: Star Trek Into Darkness is Certified Fresh 107
Top Headlines
-
Which Film Franchise Has Been the Best for Female Characters?
2
-
Damon Lindelof Talks Tomorrowland
0
-
10 Movies About Really Fast Cars
0
-
Poltergeist Remake Synopsis Hints at Plot Differences
6
-
Kristen Wiig Says Welcome to Me
1
-
David Fincher's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Gets Bumped
0
-
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance Remake in the Works
0
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Foreign Titles
- Brothers Bloom (DE)
