The Brothers Bloom
Short description
The Brothers Bloom are a pair of accomplished con artists who have spent years running elaborate schemes against wealthy targets. The younger brother, Bloom, has grown tired of living inside his older brother Stephen's carefully constructed scenarios and wants something closer to a real life. Stephen persuades him to take part in one more con, aimed at Penelope Stamp, an eccentric heiress who has seen little of the world. The plan draws the three of them into a romantic adventure that moves across several countries, and the relationships between the brothers and their mark begin to shift along the way.
The film is the second feature directed by Rian Johnson, following Brick, and it also comes from his own screenplay. Adrien Brody plays Bloom, Mark Ruffalo plays Stephen and Rachel Weisz plays Penelope, with Rinko Kikuchi, Robbie Coltrane and Maximilian Schell in supporting roles. It was produced by James D. Stern and Ram Bergman, among others.
Released in 2008, the film had a budget of about 20 million dollars and took roughly 6 million dollars worldwide, a weak return on its production cost. On IMDb it holds 6.7 out of 10 from more than 52,000 votes, and on TMDB it sits at 6.6 from around 700 votes. A critics' rating of 6.2 out of 10 from 157 reviews places it somewhat below the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The three main characters are based on the heroes of James Joyce's novel "Ulysses" and Homer's "Odyssey": Stephen – Stephen Dedalus, Bloom – Leopold Bloom, Penelope – Penelope, the wife of Odysseus.
- Rachel Weisz practiced the card trick every day for several months. The scene with the trick took 11 takes to film.
- The author's narration is read by Ricky Jay, who has worked with directors such as Paul Thomas Anderson and David Mamet, but is better known for various magic tricks, including card tricks, which predetermined his appearance in a film about con artists. Initially, director and screenwriter Rian Johnson approached Jay with an offer to play the Curator, but his filming schedule prevented it, and the role went to Robbie Coltrane.
- Initially, Rian Johnson considered Mark Ruffalo for the role that was eventually played by Adrien Brody. The actors later decided to swap roles themselves.
- While preparing for her role, Rachel Weisz had to learn how to play the piano, violin, and banjo, as well as play table tennis, perform karate moves, and ride a unicycle and even a skateboard. Adrien Brody helped the actress with skateboarding and rapping.
- Special thanks in the credits are given to Tom Cruise, who had a lengthy conversation with Rian Johnson, and whose insights and suggestions led to some significant plot changes. There was no question of Cruise appearing in the film himself due to his commitments to other projects and several other reasons.
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