The Brothers Bloom

Every once in a while Netflix recommends a movie that I hate. But, again, once in a while they get it right. Almost exactly. This move was one of those rare very, very right times.

The Brothers Bloom is about, well, two brothers. These brothers are con artists, played by Adrian Brody (Bloom) and Mark Ruffalo (Stephen). As with most con-men movies, one brother wants out, but is talked into one last job.  In this case, the job is to take Penelope (played by Rachel Weisz) on an adventure around the world to take her money. Sounds simple. There are many, many layers to this movie that I didn't expect. I expected a simple romantic adventure comedy, not a commentary on family, how to tell what's real, and what it means to face your fears and take control of your own life. You never really knew what was real and what was part of the con,  including the way people felt. Even right up to the very end, I wasn't sure what was real. I also didn't expect it to be as beautiful as it was. The editing and the camerawork was great, and little subtle touches made what would have been a good story into an excellent movie.

Ever since I saw The Pianist years ago, I have been captivated by Adrian Brody's acting (If you haven't seen it, you really need to. It's a wonderful piece of acting). Maybe it's the sad eyes, but he makes everything so believable. There's a scene in this movie in which you can see the scared little boy behind his eyes, and it breaks my heart. He gives the character of Bloom so much depth, without making him seem weak. As much as I loved the way the brothers were portrayed, and as much as I love watching Brody work, my favorite character was Bang Bang, played by Rinko Kikuchi. She only had one line in the whole movie, but she stole almost every scene she was in. I laughed out loud several times at her facial expressions.All the actors were phenominal.

I'm really not doing this movie justice. I wondered why I never heard of it, I think maybe it wasn't really marketed right. The poster looks more like an action flick (see below). There's some explosions, but nothing like a Michael Bay film.

The Bottom Line: If you like movies that are more than what you expect, that make you think, then you'll enjoy this. It's funny, moving, and beautiful.