"Brothers Bloom" Review

3 out of 5 stars/C+

“The Brothers Bloom” could have been a good film. The script is nearly impeccable and the performances are both fun and inventive, but director/writer Rian Johnson fails in translating his script to the screen.

The film follows two con men, Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and his reluctant brother Bloom (Adrian Brody). Bloom is sick of always being a character in Stephen’s complex cons and yearns to live a normal life, but Stephen is able to convince him to help with one more con, then he will allow Bloom to go on and live a normal life. The victim of their con is Penelope Stamp (Rachel Weisz), an eccentric lonely heiress who eventually begins to have romantic feelings for Bloom – a feeling that is mutual. Bloom isn’t just wooing her as part of the con. So, like most complex con films, twists and turns ensue. Oh, and explosions too. Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi), a Japanese explosives expert, aids the Brothers with her rather "unique talents."

The script for “The Brothers Bloom” is beautifully rendered. Despite a few abrupt shifts in tone, the film is masterfully structured with full-fledged character arcs that are set up from the film’s opening and carry through to the film’s closing shots. The characters are wonderfully original, especially Penelope and Bang Bang. Too often, female roles in films are reduced to lazy stereotypes, but Johnson keeps things fresh with these two characters. The casting is nearly flawless. All of the actors fall into their roles seamlessly, except, perhaps, Robbie Coltrane (“Harry Potter” films) whose performance as the Belgian, a crafty church curator, comes off a bit too forced and silly. Of course, Kikuchi’s role is also quite silly, but she strikes a better balance than Coltrane. The true star, though, is Rachel Weisz who is able to show her talents as both a comedic and dramatic actress.

The problem with “The Brothers Bloom” lies in its execution. In order for an audience to fully become invested in the characters, they need to be engaged. Johnson fails to engage his audience. The comedic rhythm of the film is off. This causes most of the well-written and genuinely funny jokes to fall flat. This problem worsens thanks to Johnson’s bizarre – yet refreshingly original – sense of humor. Since the comedic rhythm is off, the audience does not exactly warm to the film’s aforementioned humor. Another problem is the film’s pacing which is far too leisurely for a quick-witted con film. If Johnson might have established a quicker, more frantic, pace, maybe the film’s humor would have worked better. Instead, the film feels disengaging, and – at times – boring. The audience only half feels for the characters, so the film’s emotional pull at the end only half resonates. Therefore, one could say that “The Brothers Bloom” is a half-good movie.