'The Brothers Bloom' review

Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody (Credit: Slobodan Pikula/Summit)

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Bloom (Adrien Brody) has had it with his brother Stephen’s (Mark Ruffalo) scams. But Stephen pulls Bloom in for one last con, requiring him to entice—but not fall in love with—wealthy Penelope (Rachel Weisz) so the guys can swindle out of her dough. Of course, the not falling turns out to be the hard part. Rinko Kikuchi (“Babel”) co-stars as the brothers’ mysterious associate Bang Bang.

The buzz: Writer-director Rian Johnson’s debut “Brick” was an exhilarating knockout that threw high schoolers into a crime drama and invigorated both genres. “Bloom” appears to have a bit more whimsy and humor, which has led some to wonder if the film will wander into Wes Anderson-style quirkiness.

The verdict: Beginning like Paul Thomas Anderson, flirting with Wes Anderson and landing back in Rian Johnson territory, “The Brothers Bloom” is more self-conscious than “Brick,” getting tangled in explanatory dialogue and plotting that’s both absorbing and repetitive. This is still a good yarn, particularly because these lives based on fakery come from someplace real. Johnson’s already developing a visual sense with a bigger budget behind him, and his funny, romantic voice comes through in small ways throughout. When a filmmaker like that leads us into a cave, like kids looking for a little mystery and fun, we’re inclined to follow.

Did you know? Penelope displays a wide-range of learned skills, including playing the accordion, breakdancing and juggling chainsaws while riding a unicycle. Anyone think they can top that?

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