I loved Johnson's first film, the high-school noir Brick, so I had very high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, although there is much to admire, the film ultimately collapses under the weight of some very bad casting.
Let's start with the good. Johnson's story is entertaining. Our heroes, such as they are, are con men Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom (Adrian Brody), brothers who've been pulling scams since childhood. Stephen does all of the plotting of their cons, and Bloom has grown tired of having to play one role after another; he wants to retire to live "an unscripted life." But Stephen talks him into one final con. (Apparently, neither brother has ever read a book or watched a movie, or they'd know that the "one final" anything never actually works.)
Their target is the lovely Penelope (Rachel Weisz), an eccentric New Jersey heiress, and the con is an elaborate concoction involving medieval manuscripts, Russian mobsters, and traveling to one exotic destination after another. Stephen warns Bloom not to ruin things by falling for Penelope, but who could resist?
The movie looks marvelous. The locations are lovely and they're photographed beautifully (Steve Yedlin, cinematographer); the costumes (by Beatrix Aruna Pasztor) and set decoration (by Sophie Newman) are impeccable (it's a marvelous running joke that everyone is almost always wearing a black hat of some sort -- cloche, derby, top hat, fedora, sunbonnet). The score by Nathan Johnson (the director's cousin) isn't quite as gleefully eclectic as his work for Brick, but it's fine music that does much to enhance the mood of the movie
Now to the problem: What the brothers Bloom are attempting to pull off here isn't called a con game for no reason; it's supposed to be fun. A certain playfulness and lightness of spirit is called for in actors playing con men, and as talented as Ruffalo and Brody can be, they aren't the first names that come to mind when you think light, breezy comedy. Even given that Bloom doesn't really want to be here, and Stephen is tired of putting up with Bloom's moping, we still have to have the sense that these are men who could take pleasure in their craft and cleverness. Brody and Ruffalo don't give us that; they're glum from start to finish.
As if to compensate for their excessive gravity, Rachel Weisz ramps up the energy so much that what should play as lovable eccentricity comes across instead as frenzied and manic. I got tired watching her after a while.
There are moments and scenes of great wit and style to be found in The Brothers Bloom, but they can't float the way they should, weighed down as they are by Ruffalo and Brody. Worth watching when it comes to cable and DVD, but I can't recommend paying full price for it. Here's hoping that Johnson returns to form with his next movie.
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