59.0°

'The Brothers Bloom'

Summit Entertainment

1 hour, 53 minutes

As I mentioned last week, I'm on vacation. A rather long vacation, as it turns out. Sometimes, as was the case with my previous review, it's difficult to get to a movie when you're on the road.

The flip-side, however, is that if you do get to a movie, there's always the chance to get to see something exotic when you're out of town, as was the case with this week. I'm in Ashland, Ore., home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I was lucky enough to see live productions of "The Music Man," and Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," both of which had production values to rival any stage shows I've ever seen. Then, almost as a spur of the moment treat, I got to see the hit independent romantic caper, "The Brothers Bloom," at a quirky little downtown theatre. What a good weekend.

"The Brothers Bloom" is a difficult movie to classify, which is both what's good about it, and why we're unlikely to see it at one of our local theaters, especially in this busy summer. It's a romance, a heist movie, and a fairy tale, all rolled into a charming fable about two brothers, set adrift early in life, who find their true calling in the creation of elaborate con jobs in which everyone, including the victim, gets exactly what they want.

The author of said cons is older brother Stephen, played with affable assurance by the ever-capable Mark Ruffalo. Each of the confidence games he spins is far more than a typical three-card monte or don't-take-your-eye-off-the-suitcase-full-of-cash style grifts. Instead, Stephen's cons are complicated narratives with literary merit. They have story arcs, themes, and morals, and the star of them all is younger brother Bloom, played with angular insecurity by the always stellar Adrien Brody.

Bloom reaches his 30s and realizes that he has never had, in his words, "an unscripted life." It's not the money the brothers steal, or the hearts they break that's the problem. Stephen's games are never cruel, and typically involve the victim receiving some kind of personal satisfaction to compensate for the loss of money. Rather it's a life lived without truly living -- always playing a part that drives poor Bloom to one day simply walk away.

Stephen, bowing to the inevitable, sets about to create a con so spectacular that it will allow the Brothers Bloom to go out in style and finally give his younger brother what he's always wanted. Enter the lovely and daffy Penelope, played by the luminous and always charming Rachel Wiesz. Penelope is a reclusive heiress who collects talents the way others collect tin lunchboxes. Guitar, piccolo, tae kwan do, chainsaw juggling -- with limitless time and limitless resources, she can become anyone she wants. In Stephen's hands, she will soon become the "mark," but it promises new and exciting adventures, and Penelope's up for anything.

The writing in this film is stellar, mixing genres with aplomb, and spinning a highly engaging story in the process. The acting is excellent across the board, but nearly every scene is stolen by an explosive surprise character. Rinko Kikuchi plays Bang-Bang, a highly enigmatic member of the gang whose proclivity for nitroglycerin makes her invaluable. Though she says almost nothing, I found Kikuchi's scenes to be the funniest, and most interesting.

"Bloom" also veers off from other members of its genre by spending less time trying to explain the entire con for the audience, instead focusing on the narratives and broad strokes. This is obviously all an adult fable, and the tiniest details are not that important. I very much liked that about the film, as it allowed me to focus on the characters of Bloom and Penelope. I hate it when you go to a romantic movie, or even just a normal movie with some element of romance in it, and the two leads have absolutely no chemistry. This is not the case with Brody and Weisz, who seemed made for each other, right from the start.

"The Brothers Bloom" is a rare treat and one I won't soon forget. If you can see it on the big screen, in Anchorage, it'd certainly be worth the trip.

Grade: A-

"The Brothers Bloom" is rated PG-13 for some racy language, adult dialogue, and minor sexual situations.

Chris Jenness is a freelance graphic designer, artist and movie buff who lives in Nikiski.