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A film review by film-maker Chris White.
THE BROTHERS BLOOM
Written & Directed by Rian Johnson
This movie is a con.
THE BROTHERS BLOOM purports to be a heist movie, a “who’s conning who?” trick, an homage to George Roy Hill’s THE STING (1973) or Frank Oz’s DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (1988).
But BLOOM is actually a film about how people form their life narratives…how and why we write the stories of our lives.
Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom (Adrien Brody) have been con-men since childhood. Now, they’re all grown up. And Bloom has had enough. He wants out. And his big brother has a plan…an intricately plotted, magnificent plan…one last con.
Only…Bloom falls for the “mark,” beguiling American heiress, Penelope (Rachel Weisz). And all bets are off.
Fans of Rian Johnson’s BRICK (2005) will recognize the director’s stylish directing and whip-smart writing from frame one. Indeed, Johnson is the star of this feel-good travelogue (though Ruffalo, Brody, and Weisz are most compelling). Johnson is spinning a yarn about spinning yarns. And his conclusion—that “there’s no such thing as an unwritten life…only poorly written ones.”—is inspiring.
BLOOM is a fascinating, quickly-paced film that occasionally slows in its good-natured quirkiness. And yet, the sum of its parts is more rewarding than most of its con-film predecessors.
2008 \\ Color \\ 114 min.
Summit Entertainment
COUNTRIES OF PRODUCTION: Czech Republic, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia
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