The Brothers Bloom (Rian Johnson, 2009)

[Antoine Doinel]

You would think that with all the cash Twilight is bringing Summit, they could stick with a release date. I think moving it to May, where it will be lost in the shuffle of Up, Wolverine and Star Trek is a big mistake. Worse, it seems they can't even bother to get an updated trailer out. The one I keep seeing in theaters in the past couple of weeks, still says "This October".

[knives]

His next film will be out by the time they release this. Sometimes I can't understand studios. Prolonging it in this way is just costing them more money.

[flyonthewall2983]

Wait a minute, Rian has another movie coming out?

[domino harvey]

If you're on a first name basis with him, you should know

[knives]

I don't think so but I would put good money that Mr. Johnson will try to film another movie as soon as an idea comes to his head. Sort of like how The Wackness was filmed a good year or so after Mandy Lane, which still is not out yet.

[LQ]

The Philadelphia Film Festival afforded me the opportunity to see this last night. I was expecting to unabashedly adore it...but unfortunately I ended up pretty disappointed with the end result. I generally love things sprinkled with faerie dust...Pushing Daises, etc., but Brothers Bloom was just way too much of an initially good thing, and very conspicuously missing a Chi McBride character to roll his eyes at everyone now and again. But it may bewitch some who go to see it (my friend loved it, for one). I think it's a film to which you have to be willing to surrender for it to "work" (much like The Fall). From the perspective of a skeptical someone who lingered on the periphery of the film, it just looks like a utterly self-indulgent, abrasively quirky, messy kaleidoscope of a con film. The cons themselves were a bit repetitive and mind-numbingly elaborate, and the numerous diversions and evasions were, for the most part, pretty grating. Adrien Brody's character goes off the winding path of plot progression to steal a shiny crimson-red apple sitting pretty on top of a pile of dull granny smiths... ends up in jail, brother picks him up, back to the game. Why..? Oh, just because. The movie was head over heels in love with its own effulgent cutesiness.

However, there were enough flourishes and gorgeous images and witty lines to keep me from actively disliking it. Lines like "My brother writes cons the way dead Russians write novels...imbedded symbolism and shit" are great lines. And images such as the one linked to somewhere above, of Penelope's lovely face framed in a heart-shaped mirror while she's doling out cards, are achingly beautiful. The locations and sets were sumptuous and stunning, and the actors fit their parts in this fantastical, hyper-stylized world to a T..all of which helped.

Buuuut in retrospect, the actual story of the film, the one that you're to be made to care about...the brothers' love for each other, the need for Bloom to "write his own life" ( )...is totally eclipsed by the quirks and the style.

I felt a bit conned.

[Antoine Doinel]

Pretty sweet poster.

[flyonthewall2983]

Pretty sweet Trailer.

[Antoine Doinel]

You can watch the first seven minutes here.

[Antoine Doinel]

Download a commentary track and bring it with you to the theater.

[domino harvey]

Is it pretty sweet though?

[FerdinandGriffon]

Just got back from this, was entertained but not particularly impressed, pretty similar reaction to the one I had to Brick. Johnson's obviously having a whale of a time, but we only come away with a slightly tubby porpoise. Very flashy and eye-catching without having a particularly recognizable style, some fine dialogue, some not so fine. Rinko Kikuchi was really the best part, and the best dressed of the gang to boot. I howled every time she silently threw out some new and utterly ridiculous gesture or facial expression.
Speaking of which, how on earth did this manage to get a PG-13 rating? When Rinko sniffs Adrien Brody's index and middle finger right after he's been doing the not-so-nice with Rachel Weisz I let out a yelp that echoed all the way back to the popcorn machines. Too subtle for the censors?

[knives]

I too got back from it just now and mostly agree. It really is a step down, even though not bad. Hopefully he can focus in on the next one and truly live up to Brick's promise.

[Magic Hate Ball]

Download a commentary track and bring it with you to the theater.

That's actually a really interesting idea. I don't know if I'd want to pay twenty-three dollars to see the movie twice, but that's pretty nifty nonetheless.

[kaujot]

Kevin Smith did it for either Clerks 2 or Zack and Miri. Can't remember which.

[domino harvey]

I don't know how I know this, but it was Clerks 2

[knives]

But Clerks 2 track never made it to theaters. Sad I know that.

[swo17]

I would actually be kind of interested to hear what in the hell Kevin Smith was thinking when he made that film.

[Murdoch]

Just caught this and it was a fun movie, although it dragged toward the end and outside of a few moments where the film actually shined - the scene LQ mentioned about Brody stealing the apple and another scene that was a montage of Weisz's character's various hobbies - it was too concerned with proegressing the story to the final con than to put enough time into making interesting characters. I enjoyed the sight gags, and think the film did best when it was going for comedy, the dramatic cliches of "I need to live my own life, man" just were too eye-roll inducing.

However, I can't say I like the direction Johnson is going with this, it felt like House of Games by way of Wes Anderson, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the movie is a mediocre follow-up to Brick and I just hope Johnson's next film isn't another step into such shallow waters.

[Antoine Doinel]

The film will be released on DVD and BluRay for rental only on September 29th, with a retail release targeted for sometime in 2010.

[manicsounds]

Boo, I don't like this idea of waiting this long to have a regular release, unless it means more bonus materials.

[cdnchris]

As much as I dread going back to the "rental only first, sell through later" model again (like VHS) I realize I haven't bought a DVD or Blu-ray for a newer film in a long time. Except Taken. That movie kicked ass.

[flyonthewall2983]

Just finished it, and I have to say that I really liked it. It had a bit of the Wes Anderson vibe to it (very strongly in a couple of places, actually) but otherwise it seemed pretty fresh. It flips between being an easy-going caper and into something more serious. And as a complete sucker for manic pixie dream girl-types, I certainly fell into what Rachel did with her character. Overall a very good if not entirely solid entertainment.

[royalton]

I agree; the film had a much darker side to it than advertised, making it far more than just a Wes Anderson knock-off, which is what I'd expected. It was one of my favorite films of last year.