Review of The Brothers Bloom (2008) by Rob L — 28 Aug 2010

This movie starts out well. The opening rhyming narration is fun and really draws you into the characters. Brody, Ruffalo, and Kikuchi are a delightful band of con "men" whosecharacters' quirky personalities mesh well together.

Weisz is absolutely adorable and delightful. I can see myself jumping up and down in utter glee if in similar situations. She is believable as the eccentric heiress. But the plot digresses and finally sputters to an ending.

The movie mid-way through began to feel long. The character-driven story only stays afloat because of its cast. But this film thinks its smarter than it really is. In fact, the more intelligent plot twist is left on the cutting room floor! Its like the film isn't brave enough to truly achieve something brilliant.

Its an amusing tale with Bond-style costumes and settings. The concept of living "an unwritten life" is an engaging thought, but this film in the end fails to deliver. So even though I enjoyed it, I do not feel I need to see it again.

There were plot surprises here and there, and the filmmaking is more inventive than other films which enhanced the film's quirky nature, but in the end the film left me a little disappointed.