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Odd Capers, Gentlemen Thieves
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| Adrien Brody, left, Rachel Weisz and Mark Ruffalo appear in Rian Johnson’s comedy “The Brothers Bloom.” (Courtesy of Philadelphia Film Festival and Cinefest) |
By Jonathan L. Fischer, The Bulletin
In so many ways, it’s evident that for director Rian Johnson, “The Brothers Bloom” is a labor of love. It screened Tuesday night at the Prince Music Theater, and stars Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo as two brothers-cum-con men who choreograph complicated, Dostoyevskyan schemes to liberate the wealthy from their millions. A charming, stylized romp with some grave undertones, the film is weird in ways reminiscent of Wes Anderson, and as wonderfully finicky as a Tim Burton concoction. Everything is elaborate: the plot, the cons within cons, the sight gags and the subtler narrative cues. It’s fun, sometimes too fun, and Mr. Johnson occasionally lets his film go completely off the rails. I walked out of the theater having forgiven him. So did Tuesday’s appreciative audience.
As the titular siblings, Mr. Ruffalo (Stephen) and Mr. Brody (simply Bloom) ensure their characters’ substance isn’t lost amid all the style, but the real treat is Rachel Weisz — audiences may be familiar with her more serious turns (“The Constant Gardener”), but it happens that she’s an extremely capable comedic actress. She plays Penelope, a billionaire Candide who is the target of the brothers’ latest scheme, not to mention a near-Aspergian autodidact (holed up in a cavernous mansion her entire life, she has taught herself juggling, karate, pinhole photography, unicycling, French, Czech, doodling, must I go on?)
The characters (there is also a near-silent assistant named Bang-Bang who only speaks three English words, one of which is “Campari”) are over-the-top, and so is the plot, but somehow Mr. Johnson’s deliberately messy caper delivers a real emotional punch. Summit Entertainment originally planned a winter release for “The Brothers Bloom,” but pushed it back to May. Wise choice. It could well be this summer’s sleeper comedy hit.
“The Brothers Bloom” wasn’t the only caper I saw Tuesday. “Stone Of Destiny” is a fairly comedic telling of the 1950 break-in into Westminster Abbey by four University of Glasgow students, who stole the Coronation Stone — a symbol of Scottish heritage and regency — and returned it to its native land. The film’s depiction of Scottish nationalism and British cultural politics is un-nuanced yet still rings true, and the solid (though impossibly attractive) cast lifts “Stone Of Destiny” above its more formulaic plot points. (Plus, the pastoral Scottish scenery can’t be beat.) The film occasionally ponders the power of national symbols, but mostly just has fun with benign acts of anarchy.
Jonathan L. Fischer can be reached at jfischer@thebulletin.us
As the titular siblings, Mr. Ruffalo (Stephen) and Mr. Brody (simply Bloom) ensure their characters’ substance isn’t lost amid all the style, but the real treat is Rachel Weisz — audiences may be familiar with her more serious turns (“The Constant Gardener”), but it happens that she’s an extremely capable comedic actress. She plays Penelope, a billionaire Candide who is the target of the brothers’ latest scheme, not to mention a near-Aspergian autodidact (holed up in a cavernous mansion her entire life, she has taught herself juggling, karate, pinhole photography, unicycling, French, Czech, doodling, must I go on?)
The characters (there is also a near-silent assistant named Bang-Bang who only speaks three English words, one of which is “Campari”) are over-the-top, and so is the plot, but somehow Mr. Johnson’s deliberately messy caper delivers a real emotional punch. Summit Entertainment originally planned a winter release for “The Brothers Bloom,” but pushed it back to May. Wise choice. It could well be this summer’s sleeper comedy hit.
“The Brothers Bloom” wasn’t the only caper I saw Tuesday. “Stone Of Destiny” is a fairly comedic telling of the 1950 break-in into Westminster Abbey by four University of Glasgow students, who stole the Coronation Stone — a symbol of Scottish heritage and regency — and returned it to its native land. The film’s depiction of Scottish nationalism and British cultural politics is un-nuanced yet still rings true, and the solid (though impossibly attractive) cast lifts “Stone Of Destiny” above its more formulaic plot points. (Plus, the pastoral Scottish scenery can’t be beat.) The film occasionally ponders the power of national symbols, but mostly just has fun with benign acts of anarchy.
Jonathan L. Fischer can be reached at jfischer@thebulletin.us
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