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        As I’m sure you’re all well aware by now, one of my favorite things to do is scan the shelves at my local library looking for obscure titles no one’s ever heard of. It’s like looking for buried treasure to me. Sure, not everything I bring home to watch is “treasure” material, but at the very least they make for some interesting discussions at my house; and every once in a while I do find a hidden gem. A movie that although mostly unknown, deserves to be watched and enjoyed by far more people. The Brothers Bloom is just such a movie.

                The Brother'sBloom follows brothers Stephen and Bloom, two lifelong con men, as they go for one last big score before retiring from the con game and going legit. Their target is wealthy orphan Penolope. The idea is to befriend her, take her on a fake heist, make her fall in love with Bloom and make off with gobs of her money before she realizes it was all a sham. But as time wears on and Bloom actually starts to fall for Penolope, the lines between the con and reality become blurred to the characters as well as we, the viewers.

                I’m going to be straightforward here and say that I almost left this one on the shelf when I realized that Adrien Brody was playing Bloom. It’s not that I think he’s a terrible actor, or that I don’t like him. It’s just that since seeing the movie Splice I can’t look at him the same. Those of you that have seen Splice know what I’m talking about. Those of you that haven’t,don’t, (unless you don’t like Adrien Brody, then go ahead)!

                Anyways, I’m glad I got over my apprehension and took this one home. At times it’s hard to follow, with enough twists and turns to get even the best of us confused, but that’s the way they wanted it. Writer/Director Rian Johnson wanted to create a story in which neither the characters or the audience truly know what’s going on until the end, and he pulled it off beautifully in a movie that has a little bit of everything. There are laughs, there’s action, there’s romance, there’s drama and then it all comes to a truly touching conclusion. Really, what more could you want in a movie?

                The Brother’s Bloom is rated PG-13, was written and directed by Rian Johnson and stars Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachael Weiss and Rinko Kikuchi. It is available now on Blu Ray, DVD and digital download.