The Brother’s Bloom (Rian Johnson, 2008): USA

Reviewed by Simona Rozhko. Viewed at the ArcLight theater, AFI Film Festival.

The Brothers Bloom is a spectacular movie and contains a great story line with strong accents of humor, love, crime, and a string of incredible actors. Seeing this film at one of the many theaters at the ArcLight, the whole time watching this story unfold, was engaging and completely entertaining. The whole package of the film really blends in well all together, with the acting, costume designer, and the characters individual and distinct motivations. 

Based in Europe, Monte Negro, and Mexico, the film takes us to parts of the world by two brothers, Bloom and Stephen (Adrien Brody, Marc Ruffalo), as well as a corky third wheeler Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi) and the love interest Penelope Stamp (Rachel Wesiz). The two brothers stand in as con men for the film who decide to take their last trip in tricks of the trade. But they bring in innocent Penelope and we discover her personality and relationships with the guys. 

This romantic comedy carries a story line that is both amusing and phenomenal to watch. The humor is a great part of the film because, although criminal activity is a prominent aspect, the humor is very relatable and more importantly likable. The combination of the actor’s personalities with the character’s personalities create a great mesh of comedy. 

This film is easily related to any of director, Steve Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11, 12, or 13 but a bit more light and easy, and not so much professional.

Anyone who wants to be in a treat for a good movie that keeps your eyes peeled for surprising and great moments, peek at The Brother’s Bloom and you’ll be left with a pleasant aftertaste when you leave the theater of great performances.