The Brothers Bloom

Independent film often suffers from a common flaw: indulgence. Someone apart from the writer-director needs to be in the editing room, and then, well, then independent film will be just fine.

The Brothers Bloom is delightful, from writer-director Rian Johnson, but for there being just one too many cons. It's quirky, beautifully shot, perfectly acted entertainment with an array of stars who appear to be having a lot of fun.

After too much boys blowing things up, it was refreshing that all of the explosions in The Brothers Bloom were the work of Bang Bang, the seductive, mysterious, and silent and female Japanese side kick played impeccably by Rinko Kikuchi.

This is a tongue in cheek story a team of con men, two brothers sent from foster home to foster home, escalating the severity of their crimes as they age. The film opens as we visit some of those homes and we see the beginning of the cons: Stephen, played by Mark Ruffalo, is the older brother and the brains. Bloom, played by Adrien Brody, is the nervous younger brother who hooks the mark and sets each con in motion. Stephen writes Blooms life for him. That's the theme.

Adrien Brody has chosen odd and interesting films after winning the Oscar for Best Actor in The Pianist: Darjeerling Limited, Cadillac Records, Hollywood Land. I respect him for that. He gives great screen kisses, his eyes are captivating, he looks fantastic in clothes, and this film is about him, about his development, how he falls in love with Penelope, his final mark, played by Rachel Weisz. Brody brings such tenderness to his role, humor, sexiness, and in one scene around a red apple on a street cart, and it's not a spoiler, what happens on his face is why Adrien Brody is such a phenomenal actor. Each character is a character, whether it is Penelope, a hermit rich girl who can do everything but drive a car, The Curator played by the massive Robbie Coltrane, or the sinister Diamond Dog brought to the screen by Maximilian Schell.

Much of the film is shot is Prague where I traveled last fall so it was fun to see all of the familiar places, and Prague is itself a beautiful, medieval city not often seen in American film. And it's really Prague. I don't think St. Petersberg was really Russia, having seen Serbia listed in the credits.

I must warn you that my husband did not like the film, finding it much too slow, but he is accustomed to watching boys blowing things up. The other couple, Leslie and Rebecca, like me, found it entertaining, not perfect, but sufficiently entertaining to recommend The Brothers Bloom.

It's the kiss, what a kiss!