I have to admit, I was worried coming into this one. I loved Rian Johnson’s debt film Brick a lot, so I was excited about his latest release The Brothers Bloom (tiff), but the early reviews were mixed. Still, when a director like that has a cast like Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel Weisz to work with, expectations are high.
Well, chalk another one up for Johnson: I really liked this film. He once again managed to blend styles and eras — the brothers looked as if they’d walked out of the 1930s and into an era of Lamborghinis and cell phones — and traded noir for quirk. The first half of the film was extremely funny and charming. The second half less so, but he was busy moving the plot forward. I think it lost much of its early energy, but still finished reasonably strong. All three lead actors were great in their parts, and Rinko Kikuchi was hilarious as the silent sidekick.
Part of the reason I (and everyone else) loved Brick was because it took us all by surprise. This time Johnson had all eyes on him and he delivered anyway. Maybe I missed something technical about the film that critics didn’t like, or maybe they all just wanted Brick II. All I know is, it was one of my favourites so far in this festival.
B+
[tags]tiff, tiff08, the brothers bloom, rian johnson[/tags]
Skirl | Dan Dickinson 
Just read a review of the movie Brothers Bloom, Sounds like its pretty good.
http://www.rushprnews.com/2008/09/18/bloomsday-has-arrivedwithbloombrothers/
Why does Brody’s character have no first name? Can you answer me that one?
DANNY BLOOM
Bloomsday Has Arrived in Hollywood
September 18, 2008
Bloomsday! How ‘The Brothers Bloom’ madcap tale of globe-trotting style and romance once again puts the faux Hollywood surname ‘Bloom’ in lights
By Dan Bloom (no relation to any of the Blooms in this story)
BOSTON, MASS (RUSHPRNEWS) 09/18/2008–Can anyone tell me what’s with all these Blooms in Hollywood movies? And Broadway shows? There was “Blume in Love” and Leo Bloom in “The Producers” and Claire Bloom and Orlando Bloom in all kinds of films, and now comes “The Brothers Bloom” directed by Rian Johnson. Does somebody have a copyright on the name Bloom? Does Harold Bloom at Yale know anything about this?
In the movie, Ruffalo plays Stephen Bloom, the older brother of the duo. Brody plays the younger brother who for some odd reason does not get a first name at all in the entire movie and is just called “Bloom” all the way through.
That even got Adrien Brody to thinking out loud in an interview he did in Premiere magazine. When reporter Jenni Miller asked him if maybe his name was meant to be was a verb — “to bloom” — in the film, he replied: “That’s probably a good question for [the director/writer Johnson], but maybe it’s true too. Because I’m also referred to as Bloom, which would mean, what, my [name is Mr.] Bloom Bloom? Bloom is blooming? It’s a verb.”
Hi Dan
Dan here
Blooming Brody!
— Online contest to give a first name to Adrien Brody’s character “Bloom” a first name in “The Brothers Bloom”
Want to enter a contest to give Adrien
Brody’s con man character “Bloom” in the “The Brothers Bloom” a first
name? Read on.
For some odd reason which only the director Rian Johnson knows, since
he wrote the screenplay, Brody’s character does not sport a first
name! For the entire movie. Not once is he addressed by his first
name. He is just “Bloom”.
However, his brother in the movie, played by Mark Ruffalo, does have a
first name — Stephen — so he is “Stephen Bloom” in the credits.
Brody is just “Bloom.”
And that’s kosher. Many characters in many movies do not have first
names, so one cannot fault director Rian Johnson for not giving
Brody’s character a first name. He probably had a reason for doing it,
and as the screenwriter, he has every right to call his characters
what he wants.
Even Brody doesn’t have the answer. However, in a recent interview
with Jenni Miller of Premiere magazine, he did offer a possible
explanation. When Miller asked him if maybe his name was meant to be
was a verb — as in “to bloom” — he replied: “That’s probably a good
question for [Rian Johnson], but maybe it’s true, too. Because I’m
[only] referred to as ‘Bloom’, which would mean, what, my [name is]
‘Bloom Bloom’? Bloom is blooming. It’s a verb.”
So an online naming contest is born. Movie fans around the world may
nominate a good and fitting first name for Brody’s character. If
you’ve seen the movie at film festivals or private screenings, and
even if you have not seen the movie but hope to see it when it is
released in late December, feel free to nominate a first name for
Brody’s “Bloom”.
Of course, this is just a contest, for fun, and the name won’t ever
enter into the movie dialog — the film is already in the can and
winning rave reviews from those who have seen it — so this contest
has no connection at all with the studio that is distributing the
movie, Summit Entertainment, nor with director Johnson or his fine
cast.
By the way, did you know the original title for the movie was
“Penelope”? True story. There is a Penelope in the movie, played by
the drop-dead gorgeous Rachel Weisz. Johnson later changed the title
to “The Brothers Bloom”. Go figure.
So, dear readers — and Adrien, if you are reading this, you can join
in on the fun, too — Brody’s character needs a first name. So give
him one.
The winner of the “Give Adrien Brody’s Character ‘Bloom’ a First Name
Contest” might receive an invitation to attend the premiere in either
Los Angeles or New York. Imagine yourself walking down the red carpet!
It could happen.
To nominate a good first name for Brody’s character in the movie, send
in your nominations by email to
firstnameforbloom@gmail.com
before December 15.
You might want to read this earlier RushPRnews story for a little backgound:
http://www.rushprnews.com/2008/09/18/bloomsday-has-arrivedwithbloombrothers
Ready? Send in your nominations by email, ASAP, and most of all, have
fun. By the way, again please note, this contest is not in any way
connected with the studio that produced the movie or the distributors
or the director or the actors or the PR people plugging the movie. The
contest is a completely independent overture to give Adrien Brody’s
character “Bloom” a first name. In the spirit of fun! In the spirit of
enjoy!
———————————-
About the contest: This contest is this blogger’s own idea.
Write to him at: danbloom@RushPRnews.com
Hey Danny,
I haven’t decided yet how I feel about PR flacks dispensing faux commentary here. Tread carefully.
Hi Dan
Understand your note. But believe me, I am not PR flack, I am a blogger in Taiwan, with no payment connection to the RUSHPR service, I just write for them for free as a hobby. The owner allows me to publish my columns about science, movies, whatever, but I am in no way a PR flack for any studio or firm. I am freelance writer in Taiwan:
http://danbloom888.blogspot.com
Tufts 1971
BUT, Dan, just today, i got an email from Rian Johnson himself, after i emailed him the news of the Bloom name contest, and he wrote back
“Love it. Love the idea of the contest. Will get back to you later when i have more time online. Sorry for stealing your name.” — Rian
really. I am not a PR flack. But I am doing this contest as a PR hobby thing, but on my own, completely on my own, kind of like the way that guy Brian Finklestien did his own PR hobby thing for the SNAKES ON A PLANE movie a few years back.
But this is different, and i have no interest in fame or money or PR or movie job. I am in Taiwan. I left USA in 1991. I love Asia. But this Bloom movie just caught my attention. Trust me, on this, I am no PR flack….But i can understand why you might think so, a good PR flack would be doing this, but no PR flack would ever think up this PR idea. This is just becauser I am a BLOOM, no other reason. Okay, call me irresponsible….
SMILE
email offline for me
DANNY
danbloom AT gmail
ORIGINAL EMAIL HERE
letter today direct mail from Rian Johnson, director of BLOOM movie,
after I emailed him news of the contest, he wrote back:
re the name contest for BLOOM
“Dear Dan,
Ha! That’s totally hilarious, Dan, I love it! I’m away from home
with limited internet access right now, but when I get back tomorrow
I’ll take a crack at it.
thanks, and sorry about stealing your last name…
Rian Johnson”
Danny,
Feel free to talk about The Brothers Bloom all you want. I liked the movie. But pointing multiple links to a PR service makes it easy to doubt that you’re in this solely because of your personal interest in the film. There’s lots of content out there you could link to if you want to *comment*, which is what this section is for. If you try to turn it into PR or advertising, whatever your motives, I may have to mark your comments as spam.
Dan
Thanks for your understand, and yes, I do understand. I will not comment anymore. And your advice is well taken, I don’t want to be taken for something I am not. Just having fun. Good advice, and thanks. by the way, i found your blog via Rian Johnson’s blog, that is how i found your blog, his blog mentioned your good review, so i went here first on my comment rounds…but i see i might have oversteeped the bounds. will stop now. thanks, sir
DANNY
I have just had to take a moment to tell you that I’m really impressed by your blog. this is an excellent site.