A tale of two films, The Brothers Bloom hits and misses. The caper, with a spirited soundtrack, clever twists, and absurd comedy at the right moments, is excellent. The love story, with an undue focus on Adrian Brody’s sad face, artificial dialogue, and poor performances, falls flat.
The viewer is always guessing what will come next as two brothers, Bloom and his older sibling Stephen, attempt to con a clueless heiress. I enjoyed how the film followed up on details from earlier in the film and the comic timing. There are some unnecessary twists which seem to be a way for writer and director Rian Johnson to say “Look how clever I am” rather than advance the plot. Despite this weakness, the whole package is entertaining and enjoyable.
To Catch a Thief offers a caper and a love story but it works because Cary Grant and Grace Kelly are able actors and people care about their characters. Mark Ruffalo and Rachel Weisz are bad and Adrian Brody overdoes the woe is me act. The Brothers Bloom should have simply excised the romance and ended thirty two minutes earlier. This would have also permitted me to sneak into the next theatre and re-watch the climax of Star Trek. **½