The Brothers Bloom (2008)
October 5, 2022 9:29 PM - Subscribe

The Brothers Bloom are the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Now they've decided to take on one last job - showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life...

Twenty-five years of swindling people are too much for Bloom (Adrien Brody) and he wants out of the business. His brother, Stephen (Mark Ruffalo), convinces him to work on one final hustle, targeting an eccentric East Coast heiress named Penelope (Rachel Weisz). The con game fails to play out as planned when Bloom falls in love with the irresistible woman.

Written and Directed by Rian Johnson.

68% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

JustWatch listing.
posted by Marky (9 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
I am a Rian Johnson booster, but this movie is a mess. Part of it is that Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo convinced him that they should switch roles, and it's constantly distracting because you can feel it, but it's also going for this kind of weightless caper kind of thing that it's not funny enough to pull off.

By the time he returns to comedy with Knives Out, he's got a much better idea of his strengths and weaknesses as a writer, and knows that he's far more comfortable in the satire and parody range and can let his actors find some farce as a garnish.
posted by Merus at 10:48 PM on October 5, 2022 [6 favorites]


That's a very good assessment Merus. This movie has a lot of very good moments, but it's very uneven. I remember it also being way too long, and after looking up the running time I was surprised to see that it's a modest 1h 49m.
posted by Alex404 at 3:20 AM on October 6, 2022


I'm actually very fond of this sloppy, uneven movie. No disagreements on any of the assessments of its failings, but it works for me anyway.

Penelope's mansion is Peleș Castle in Romania. Beautiful place and worth seeing.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:49 AM on October 6, 2022 [2 favorites]


Put me in the "pro" column. This is a light, fun caper comedy with an all-star cast that's fun to watch.
posted by 4th number at 12:28 PM on October 6, 2022 [1 favorite]


Rachel Weisz is everything, especially in this movie. I’m probably due to watch it again.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 8:15 PM on October 6, 2022 [1 favorite]


Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo convinced him that they should switch roles

Interesting! My wife and I watched this a few weeks ago and were sort of let down; the casting thing is neat but I don't know if that affects it very much if you're unaware. The tone and pacing just get so bogged down midway through and that last half feels twice as long as the first. Structurally, the movie is a con: you get hooked by something fun and exciting and you're on board with it, but slowly you begin to suspect that was window-dressing but you're in denial and make excuses (Penelope, with all her skills, is probably scamming them! Or she's in cahoots with Stephen to let Bloom find his way! Or something! Surely something!) and at the end you're sad but maybe left with a wry fondness about the experience.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:27 AM on October 7, 2022


It's no 'Brothers Grimsby'.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 1:55 PM on October 7, 2022


Interesting! My wife and I watched this a few weeks ago and were sort of let down; the casting thing is neat but I don't know if that affects it very much if you're unaware.

What I meant by it is that Adrian Brody is playing a very Mark Ruffalo-type character, and Mark Ruffalo is playing a very Adrian Brody-type character, and I never felt they were disappearing into their role as opposed to doing impressions of each other.
posted by Merus at 10:55 PM on October 11, 2022


I'd seen a bit of this at some point in my life, without having any particular awareness of Rian Johnson or Mark Ruffalo. I was aware of the mediocre reviews and kind of tuned out.

Watched the whole thing tonight. I definitely feel like there's another movie I'd enjoy more with a lot of these same elements. But I didn't dislike what I got. Definitely Rachel Weisz does a lot to keep this above water; the glee on her face when she accomplishes something new is infectious.
posted by mark k at 10:58 PM on December 16, 2022 [2 favorites]


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