The Brothers Bloom

MUST-SEE: (Rian Johnson) This movie is incredible. It has everything: hilarity,cunning, unpredictability, suspense, wit. Absolutely nothing in this film disappoints. Mark Ruffalo is stand-out as the older of the Bloom brothers--I would say his best performance ever. From hustling teeny-boppers, orphaned for their bad behavior, they grew to be the best con men in the world, millionaires riding on the earnings of those less savvy to keep up. The problem is with Adrien Brody's "Bloom," the younger brother with somewhat of a heart you might say, who wants out of the business... but not before one last con of course, one where they swindle an innocent heiress into a wild goose-jaunt across the globe. Rachel Weisz plays this Penelope Stamp, a girl locked in her own home at a young age, sheltered from the world but curious beyond sanity. She is the mark, per say, for the con, but the group (including a fiery performance by Babel's Rinko Kikuchi) finds themselves never knowing who actually is running the show. The story is a wild ride of self-discovery and imagination, but also about letting loose, trying on different hats, and overall, enjoying life as it happens. Bloom fights to escape a written life by his brother, but discovers that it's impossible to avoid love and kinship whether on purpose or not. I can't say rave more about this film. I was expertly entertained and left wanting everyone I know to see it. It's The Prestige meets Oceans Eleven and never lets you catch your breath to think what the magic ingredient is that makes it so good. Tackling every angle for any kind of audience, you'll leave with a dose of honest love, harsh life lessons, and a curiosity sparked for travel and adventure. Added to the spectacle is a muted color palette, resembling that of an old fable, Grimm's-like and fantastic. Enjoy what Johnson has created--letting yourself go on an adventure where truth is irrelevant in the face of success and good times.