The Brothers Bloom (Rian Johnson, 2008): USA

Out of all the films that I watched at this festival, this was the film closest to what I would expect to see in an ordinary theater. The big names and the type of comedy was much more comfortable and usual than in the other films. The characters were all so different but they fit together in an almost amazingly honest way. I never once doubted the chemistry among the actors and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were really friends in real life. The hardest part of watching a film for me is when the chemisrty is forced and the natural way that they complimented each other was great throughout the film. The film is about two brothers (Adrian Brody and Mark Ruffalo) that are con artists. They were foster children for their whole childhoods and though they had very different wants and needs in their lives, they always stuck together as a team. Brody has never liked pulling cons, but has gone along with it for his entire life. Ruffalo on the other hand is the much more manipulative brother and basically what he says goes. Brody wants to fall in love and live a simple life, while Brody is always convincing him into things that he does’t want to do. When the brother’s plan a con that turns into something much more, Brody (Bloom) falls into something he’s never know. Love. The character that then enters the scene is Rachael Weisz (Penelope) who is a wealthy shut-in daughter that has mastered every hobby in the world. She is quirky and strange and perhaps this is what Bloom lives most about her. Though Bloom is now through with his brother’s cons, Penelope is as excited about them as ever and the journey begins again, with a new member of the team. The mistakes and conflicts that they now run into are even more hilarious. But in the end, the love of two brothers is nicely displayed.