The Brothers Bloom is divine comedy

The sum of this film’s haphazard parts makes for a greater delicious romp

By Lilly Lampe
Published: June 10th, 2009 | 12:20pm

Rian Johnson’s second film, The Brothers Bloom, is a con-man caper with characters that delight and jokes that land. The story is a little less than seamless but, with such a tremendous cast, this is a forgivable flaw.

We see The Brothers, Stephen and Bloom, commit their first con as children in the uproarious first seven minutes (which can be watched on Hulu.com) that foretells their life of deception. Throughout their escapades, punctuated by chuckle-inducing throwaway jokes and a mysterious Japanese accomplice, the Brothers tackle a Russian gang, Viennese officials, and existential crises, all in glorious 1920s costume. The actual year of the movie is ambiguous, as the ‘20s capes and well-crafted suits are foiled by the occasional cell phone and yellow Lamborghini, which never feel out of place. The sum of this film’s haphazard parts makes for a greater delicious romp.

Stephen, played by Mark Ruffalo as the confident schemer, writes cons almost as theatrical plays where his younger brother Bloom is the lead, getting the girl, and the goods every time. Adrien Brody is the reluctant Bloom, who yearns for “the Unwritten Life”, but can’t find his part without the direction of Stephen. In this love-hate relationship, Brody is suspiciously masterful at self-torment, while Ruffalo is a jovial and energetic, if overbearing, front man.

I’d be remiss to leave out the women in the film. Rachel Weisz proves her comic chops in a lovely turn as Penelope, the New Jersey heiress targeted by the conniving brothers, and Bloom’s love interest. Rinko Kikuchi, the Japanese actress best known for her role in Babel, plays the mute Bang-Bang, the Brothers’ “fifth Beatle” according to Stephen, in a steal-stealing performance to rival Harpo Marx. Ruffalo, Brody, and Weisz are already gold-bullion as far as the film industry is concerned, but Kikuchi is poised to give Hollywood a run for its money.

Director-writer Johnson readily acknowledges the influence of Peter Bogdanovich’s Paper Moon. Johnson’s first film, the crime-drama Brick, was inspired by the film noir of Dashiell Hammett, and The Brothers Bloom is his interpretation of the con-man comedy. At a post-film Q&A at Chicago’s Landmark Theatre, Johnson mentioned his next film tackles science fiction. With two classic film genres already under his belt, Johnson stands capable of anything.