It’s a charming fantasy of a con movie that is less interested in the well-played con than the colorfully executed idea of a con, among other things.

| Apr 8, 2023

The acting is great and it looks beautiful but it feels more like an under developed Wes Anderson film than a fully realized Rian Johnson movie.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 31, 2021

Writer-director Rian Johnson, following up his witty 2005 debut, the high school noir Brick, has a real gift for putting his own modern stamp on time-tested genres.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Dec 7, 2018

An endlessly intriguing, and frequently beautiful film that will certainly reward (even require) multiple viewings, and inspire endless debate.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 5, 2018

Pretty, well acted and amusing, if ultimately superficial.

| Aug 23, 2018

I loved The Brothers Bloom from the moment it started, when we are introduced to two orphaned boys in dark brimmed hats who are con merchants in the making.

| Aug 22, 2017

Magical realism, eccentric characters and quality con-men capering mix for a sparkling cinematic concoction in The Brothers Bloom.

| Nov 14, 2016

A quirky film that never quite fully satisfied me.

| Original Score: B- | Jan 27, 2016

It pulls the perfect con, which Ruffalo's character defines as a con where everyone gets what they want. The audience gets exactly what they want: A wild ride with an ending they won't see coming.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Sep 24, 2012

The Brothers Bloom is quirky and clever. Set in the present but with a perfectly judged retro feel, it looks fabulous too. Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi almost steals the film with her deadpan presence as Bang Bang, the gang's explosives expert.

| Jul 30, 2012

Brick made for a natural intro to the more complicated, less laboriously arch observations of The Brothers Bloom.

| Aug 26, 2011

Rian Johnson injects punchy, off-kilter fantastical charm into his playfully globetrotting film. It's like a cuckoo clock - precise, ornate and screwy-looking. But Bloom and Penelope's love - and resultant rifts - comes off as real-world collateral.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Sep 25, 2010

The Brothers Bloom is inventive, but its relentless cleverness limits its emotional pull.

| Jun 16, 2010

We feel regularly discombobulated on the sea of this movie's ideas - which is a good thing for people feeling marooned by the general stupidity of this summer's film releases.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 9, 2010

If Wes Anderson and Terry Gilliam ever had a child, science would be amazed and appalled. But also, it would probably end up making a film like this.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 9, 2010

The eccentric humour is an acquired taste and the contrived story overstays its welcome.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 7, 2010

Johnson's script and directing style suffocates the duo with too many cookie-cutter indie movie quirks, making it all too easy to spot the joins and lose interest...

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 7, 2010

It's one of those films whose fun set-up is terrific, only to be offset by the muddled plot. Still, there are some decent laughs amid the mess.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 4, 2010

Sharp, funny and stylish, but still, something doesn't quite fit...

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 4, 2010

The effect is something like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels done by Wes Anderson in a morose mood, much as its creator would presumably resist the latter comparison.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 3, 2010