Step 1: Find yourself wrapped up in a big ball of quirk. The Brothers Bloom is an intriguingly offbeat yarn that unfortunately unravels towards the end.
Step 2: Try to define the thread of story. Is it a con man scheme? A love story? Or a Cain and Abel tale? It’s kind of all of those. We first meet Stephen and his younger brother Bloom as orphaned kids, dressed in black suits and hats. At this young age, these two quickly see how they can make a few bucks by creating intricate long cons, concocted by Stephen with a most poetic touch, and performed with perfection by Bloom. Then they grow up. Stephen’s (Mark Ruffalo) still got the hat, while Bloom (Adrien Brody) has ditched his. But they are still performing elaborate cons, aided by a third member, the (almost) mute Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi). Guess what her specialty is? Right, explosives.
Step 3: Spin the story. Bloom decides he doesn’t want to participate in the reindeer games anymore, wants his own life back, but only after he goes through one last con with Stephen and Bang Bang. Their mark? An eccentric heiress named Penelope (Rachel Weisz), who collects hobbies for a living and is up for any kind of new adventure. She certainly gets one with the Brothers Bloom — and changes the boys lives forever.
Step 4: Recognize the flaws in the design. Writer/director Rian Johnson (Brick) certainly doesn’t follow the rules with Brothers Bloom and paints a peculiar, hilarious yet fresh picture. But those character idiosyncrasies that make the first part of the film so engaging seem to lessen as the story progresses, signing off with an unsatisfying conclusion. It’s as if Johnson couldn’t figure out quite how to keep the momentum going and just lapses into the serious.
Step 5: Give praise to the players, however. Brody and Ruffalo are convincing as the co-dependent brothers who’ve had to stick together through thick and thin. Ultimately, Stephen really wants Bloom to be happy but doesn’t know how to let Bloom go, while Bloom wants to go but doesn’t know how to break free. It’s complicated. And Weisz’s Penelope is the catalyst to solve their problems. The actress totally embraces her character’s kookiness (don’t get her behind the wheel of a yellow sports car) but starts to lose that edge towards the end. The real delight is Kikuchi, who we all might remember for her devastating, Oscar-nominated performance in Babel. Brothers Bloom is only her second U.S. film, and she makes the most of it as the silent Bang Bang, doing more with her facial expressions and gesture than any words could convey.
Level of difficulty in watching Brothers Bloom: Mildly moderate. The first half will have you rolling, but the quirky comedy doesn’t quite carry through when things turn darker.