Written by Charlie Mihelich

In a tiny Hollywood building, just down the street from Amoeba records, director Rian Johnson is hard at work editing his latest film “The Brothers Bloom”.  After the indie success of his first film, “Brick” (which is fantastic, if you haven’t seen it yet), Johnson has been trusted with a bigger budget, A-list talent, and a couple of Lamborghinis (more on that later).  I got a chance to visit Johnson’s editing room and talk with him about the film, and I also was lucky enough to see about 25 minutes of “Bloom” footage.

“The Brothers Bloom” is a con-man comedy about two brothers, Bloom (Adrian Brody) and Steven (Mark Ruffalo), who have been con-men all their life.  Bloom swears off the life, only to be drawn back in by Steven for one last con.  The mark?  The beautiful Penelope (Rachel Weisz), a quirky, well-to-do homebody with money to spare and in serious need of adventure.  There’s some romance, some physical comedy, and some intrigue that makes this a true genre-bending caper.

I went in to this expecting to find myself constantly comparing the movie to “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, because the IMDB synopsis made them sound so similar.  This is truly a different movie, both plot-wise and tonally.  While “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” was, in essence, a silly movie about silly people (even the marks were silly), the characters in “The Brothers Bloom” seem very real.  The opening scene gives the brother’s back story (including their first foray into the con), and you see two brothers, bounced around from foster family to foster family, whose cons follow established guidelines that are designed to benefit all parties, though perhaps not equally.  Bloom gets the girl, Steven handles the money, and the mark (or marks) get to have fun.  Though they are indeed scoundrels, there is a certain gentleness that accompanies their cons.

The opening scene is narrated storybook style by Ricky Jay, the magician and skilled writer who knows a thing or two about tricks.  This exposition moves at a very fast pace, never feeling rushed but at the same time never letting the story lags.  The film settles down after this, I was told, and from what I saw, the movie allows for plenty of character development. 

The acting looks especially impressive, with Mark Ruffalo playing his first true comedic role (he usually plays the heavy) and doing what appears to be a fantastic job.  His dialogue is quick and witty, and he delivers it in a Clooney-esque manner, but sets himself apart by not always appearing in control.  Adrian Brody plays the timid, charming and apprehensive younger brother than constantly threatens to tear the whole thing down, and it works for him.  He is genuinely likeable, and he plays to his strengths.  Rachel Weisz is as expected, beautiful and sweet, giving her character a sensitivity that makes her role as the mark uncomfortable for both the con men and audiences (which is a good thing).  Robbie Coltrane plays The Curator, an ominous character whom I didn’t see enough of to nail down at all.

It’s a globetrotting movie, taking place in several different countries, and some of the locales it features are breathtaking.  I of course can’t give too much away, but Johnson was able to negotiate some fantastic filming locations, including a turn of the century (the last one, not the current) cruise ship that has been painstakingly restored.  Pretty awesome. 

The footage I saw made me very excited for the movie, which I think will be great as a date movie and also as a movie for people who like a good con.  It’s a unique take on the genre, and I recommend you see it when it releases October 24^th.

I also got to sit down with Rian Johnson and talked about the film, which you can read about here.