The Brothers Bloom ( Penelope )

The Brothers Bloom (DVD) (*)

~~$21.99~~ $15.97

Alternate Title: Penelope
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )
Finnish ( Subtitles )
Norwegian ( Subtitles )
Swedish ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Sweden ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
109 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (2.35:1)

Special Features:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 2008 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Rian Johnson

Written By:
Rian Johnson

Actors:
Rachel Weisz ..... Penelope Stamp
Adrien Brody ..... Bloom
Mark Ruffalo ..... Stephen
Rinko Kikuchi ..... Bang Bang
Robbie Coltrane ..... The Curator
Maximilian Schell ..... Diamond Dog
Ricky Jay ..... Narrator (voice)
Zachary Gordon ..... Young Bloom
Max Records ..... Young Stephen
Andy Nyman ..... Charleston
Noah Segan ..... The Duke
Nora Zehetner ..... Rose
Ram Bergman ..... Himself
Craig Johnson ..... Apple Cart Vendor
Dubravko Jovanovic ..... Albino

Synopsis:

Rian Johnson's globe-trotting caper comedy 'The Brothers Bloom' is the movie equivalent of an elaborate juggling act whose performers keep dozens of pins wheeling in the air. As much as you admire the stagecraft and the technical skills on display, when all is said and done, that's all it is: a fancy, not-quite-two-hour stunt. What you take away from this snazzy-looking fantasy about fraternal grifters embarking on a final con are its travel brochure-pretty pictures of colorful locales including Prague, St. Petersburg and Montenegro. Beyond that your response to the movie, which takes too conspicuous a delight in its own cleverness, is likely to be a shrug and a 'so what?' Like those airborne pins, 'The Brothers Bloom' never lands.

For as long as they can remember, the Brothers Bloom have had only each other to depend on. From their childhood in a long series of gloomy foster homes to their high-flying lives as international con artists, Stephen and Bloom have shared everything. Stephen brilliantly concocts intricate stories that the brothers live out, but he's still searching for the perfect con, the one where 'everyone gets what they want.' Meanwhile, Bloom yearns for 'an unwritten life'--a real adventure, one not dreamed up by his old brother. Eager to retire, Bloom agrees to take part in one last grand scam. He insinuates himself into the life of Penelope, a bored, single New Jersey heiress. When a genuine romance begins to blossom between them, he is reluctant to exploit her naiveté, but Penelope has already taken the bait: She impulsively joins Bloom, Stephen and their 'associate,' a sexy Japanese explosives expert named Bang Bang on an ocean liner to Greece. Penelope is convinced she's happened upon the adventure of a lifetime and offers to bankroll a million dollar deal. As the quartet makes their way from Athens to Prague to Mexico to St. Petersburg, Penelope quickly becomes addicted to the illicit thrills. But as Stephen's elaborate web of deceit pulls tighter, Bloom begins to wonder if his brother has devised the most dangerous con of his life.The Brothers Bloom starts off with a flashback in the lives of two orphaned brothers, Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom (Adrian Brody). As kids (played by Max Records and Zachary Gordon), dressed in matching over-large suits and hats, they engage in their first con. Stephen writes an overly-detailed flow-chart-like plan that ends in the local children giving the brothers $30, but also gets them kicked out of town. Flash forward two decades later to the well-known con men's latest success, and Bloom is decidedly unhappy with his situation, sick of living a 'scripted life' as the anti-hero of Stephen's con stories, and opts to abandon the partnership, leaving his brother with their mysterious and taciturn sidekick Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi). Stephen reels him back with a 'one last con' scheme involving lonely NJ heiress Penelope (Rachel Weisz).Bloom will coyly entice her to travel with them on an 'antique transport' trip, which morphs into an adventurous smuggling mission from Prague to Mexico for the Belgian 'Curator' (Robbie Coltrane) with a rare ancient tome, using her money for various transactions. Stephen sees it as an opportunity to show a bored woman the adventure of a lifetime, so that taking some of her money really isn't so unwarranted. Of course Bloom and Penelope start to fall for each other, and he struggles with his loyalties. When the plan takes an unexpected turn, it's up to Bloom to finally cut through the lies of storytelling he's been living out since he was 10 and make his own way.

The Brothers Bloom are the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Now they've decided to take on one last job - showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life with a romantic adventure that takes them around the world.

This product was added to our catalog on Monday 16 November, 2009.