Five Reasons Why: You need to see ‘Brothers Bloom’

Five Reasons Why is a column devoted to explaining why we at We Are Movie Geeks think you should go see a particular film of our choosing.   This week’s film is ‘The Brothers Bloom,’ an upbeat, con-artist comedy by writer/director Rian Johnson that delivers on all fronts.   Check out the reasons why you should seek out this film.

05. Rian Johnson also did ‘Brick’

‘Brick’ was super smart and Rian Johnson didn’t dumb it down just to make sure everyone could “get it”. He assumes we are all smart enough to break it down and comprehend it like the devilishly smart beings that we are. ‘Brothers Bloom’ is also very smart, but Johnson adds in a sly humor that comes off beautifully. Mix that with the con of the film and the unpredictability and you will be adding this onto your favorite list right underneath ‘Brick’.

04. Rinko/Bang-Bang:

All the performances in ‘Brothers Bloom’ were spot on, but the one that stands out the most is the one that has the least lines. Rinko Kikuchi plays Bang Bang, a female “friend” and fellow con of Stephen’s character, played by Mark Ruffalo. Bang Bang is virtually mute, but is so by choice. Despite her lack of vocalization in the film, Rinko is able to nail her performance as the recklessly wild and unpredictable, yet laid back and contemplative character Bang Bang. Her performance adds such a wonderful element of depth and quirkiness to the story without becoming silly or pretentious. I certainly had Rinko’s performance in ‘Brothers Bloom’ on my own personal list of the Top 5 Performances by a Supporting Actress for 2008.

03. The film’s got an incredible style

The world Johnson creates in ‘The Brothers Bloom’ is complete with an immaculate sense of style.   The costumes and designs of the sets in this film are amazingly art deco and even delve into the streamline moderne movement of the 1930s.   The costumes are by Beatrix Aruna Pasztor (‘Vanity Fair’), the art direction is from Yugoslavian designer Jasna Dragovic and Paul Kirby (‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Phantom of the Opera’), and the set direction is from Sophie Newman (‘Alexander’ and ‘Munich’).   Johnson captures all of these styles with an amazing use of camera capturing every, vibrant aspect with absolute focus.

02. Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo

Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo are decent actors.   They have never given what you might consider a less-than-appropriate performance in any film they’ve appeared in.   However, they always seem to fall into the rut of playing themselves.   Brody is always undoubtedly Brody and Ruffalo is almost always best at playing himself.   What Johnson does with these two gifted actors is switch up what you might expect from them.   Brody plays the innocently sweet brother and Ruffalo plays the one who is always looking for the scam.   In doing this, both actors are able to completely shine.   Johnson has to be given credit for what he is able to pull out of Brody and Ruffalo, but there is no denying the fact that these two actors turned it up for ‘The Brothers Bloom.’

01. It’s a con artist movie that, for once, isn’t all about the con

One problem con movies have had in recent years is that the entire film is about the con.   The filmmakers of films like ‘Confidence’ and ‘Matchstick Men’ are always trying to swerve their audience, and much of what else is found in those films suffer for it.   One of the many great things Rian Johnson does with ‘The Brothers Bloom’ is he never allows any aspect of the film feel short-changed or frivolous.   The relationship between the two brothers is just as important as the relationship between Brody and Weisz is just as important as the relationship between Ruffalo and Kikuchi.   There are so many layers to ‘The Brothers Bloom,’ the con artist element of it could have been excised, and you would still be left with a decently crafted comedy.

So there you have it, if you were wondering where you could see the movie this weekend here is a list:

Massachusetts
Boston Common 19
Kendall Square Cinema
Embassy 6

New York
Angelika
Lincoln Square AMC
Empire 25
Kips Bay 15
72nd Street East
BAM Rose Cinemas (Brooklyn)
Kew Gardens Cinemas (Queens)
Malverne Cinema 4 (Nassau County)
Roslyn Theater (Nassau County)
East Hampton 6 (Suffolk County)
Cinema 100 Quad (Westchester)

New Jersey
Clairidge 6 (Essex County)
Montgomery Cinemas (Somerset County)
Showcase at the Ritz Center 16 (South Jersey)

Connecticut
Plaza 3
Garden Cinema
Bethel Cinema

Philadelphia
Ritz East Twin

Washington D.C.
E-Street Cinema (Q&A Sunday Night!)
Georgetown 14
Bethesda Row Cinema

Illinois
River East 21
Century Centre Cinema 7 (Q&A Saturday Night!)
Evanston 18 / CineArts 6

Minnesota
Uptown Theatre (Minneapolis)

Georgia
Tara Cinemas 4 (Atlanta)

Texas
Magnolia Cinema (Dallas) (Q&A Monday Night!)
Arbor Cinemas @ Great Hills (Austin)

Colorado
Chez Artiste 3 (Denver)

California
Arclight Hollywood
Landmark
Arclight Sherman Oaks
Monica 4
Laemmle’s Fallbrook 7 (West Hills)
Playhouse 7 (Pasadena)
Movies 6 (Long Beach)
Westpark 8 (Irvine)
Westlake Village Twin (Westlake)
Cinemas Palm D’or 10 (Palm Springs)
Paseo Nuevo 4 (Santa Barbara)
AMC La Jolla 12 (La Jolla)
Hillcrest Cinema 5 (San Diego)
Century Centre 9 (San Francisco) (Q&A Friday Night!)
Kabuki 8 (San Francisco)

Arizona
Harkins Camelview Plaza 5 (Phoenix)

Oregon
Fox Tower 10 (Portland)

Washington
Meridian 16 (Seattle)
Lincoln Square Cinemas 16 (Seattle)

Toronto
The Varsity