Parents' Guide to

The Brothers Bloom

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Adventure and romance mix in bold, irreverent dramedy.

Movie PG-13 2009 109 minutes
The Brothers Bloom Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Matan O.
Matan O. Adult
May 24, 2020
age 13+

Boring Film

I personally thought this film was really boring. The action didn't make me jump out of my seat. If I saw this movie at the theater, I probably would have gone up and left. The acting was very good, and so was the imagery, but it was just a very boring film overall.

This title has:

Great role models
Too much violence
WorthMyWhile
WorthMyWhile Parent of 2-year-old
February 17, 2010
age 15+

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom (Adrien Brody) are brothers who've mastered the art of the con. Stephen devises their scams with a literary mind, paying homage to famous writers as he crafts his setups; Bloom is his main actor. Rejected throughout their childhood by one foster parent after another, they found solace in cons that allowed them to be somebody else on their way to someplace else. But now that they're grown-ups, the deception wears on Bloom, who walks away from what he thinks is their final production. Then Stephen finds him and presents him with one last pitch: luring a reclusive, orphaned heiress (Rachel Weisz) away from her New Jersey mansion and milking her for millions. Little do they know that she's ready for a grand adventure....

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (6):

Lyrically told and lushly photographed, the film could easily have turned out frivolous, stylized, and forgettable -- a jaunty travelogue/heist movie. But thanks to writer-director Rian Johnson, it's dense and satisfying, eager to mine emotional truths from characters who are master fibbers. Credit a script that, though sometimes crowded with trickery, isn't afraid to be complicated. The storytelling is masterful, and the movie's romantic in a way that most heist movies aren't -- the love story is just as important, if not more so, than the scams. (Make that love stories: The central brotherhood is an involving examination of familial love.) In the movie, Bloom describes the perfect con as this: "Each one involved gets just the thing they wanted." THE BROTHERS BLOOM, then, is the perfect con. The actors get to flex their muscles, the director gets to make a memorable movie, and the audience gets to hop aboard a bewilderingly beautiful ride.

Brody reminds audiences why he won the Oscar (for The Pianist) with a performance that's full of nuance and meaning, and Ruffalo manages to balance humor and drama in a role that a lesser actor might have approached with too much showmanship. And Weisz? She mesmerizes. As a shut-in ready to take on the world, she's eccentric but profound, maddening but likable. It's easy to see why Bloom is smitten. By the movie's end, you will be, too.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how this movie compares to other heist movies. What do those kinds of films tend to have in common? Families can also discuss the characters' relationships and what they learn. What do the brothers get out of their scams? Why do they feel differently about it later in life? Do they love each other? How does Stephen continue to act like the older brother later in life?

Movie Details

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