The Brothers Bloom is a romp, though its quirkiness—equal parts Wes Anderson and Guy Ritchie—can wear. Directed and written by Rian Johnson, whose first feature was the fairly impressive Brick (a neo-noir set in a contemporary high school), The Brothers Bloom is about con men, and thus about the fine line between fiction and reality. We are first introduced to brothers Bloom (Adrien Brody) and Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) as orphaned children, the former convincing the latter to help him snow an entire village of peers. Fast-forward to modern-day Berlin, where Bloom vows never to pull another con, only to be drawn back to New Jersey by the wiles of a cloistered, innocent heiress (Rachel Weisz). The three, along with sidekick Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi), are soon travelling the world, their various motivations both confounding and ensnaring each other.

Such a premise necessitates a light, skilled touch, which Johnson certainly has. It must be said that The Brothers Bloom is fun: just following it from place to place (the film was largely shot on location) is enough of a thrill for an hour and a bit. Yet there is a petulance here that doesn’t sit right: simple ideas are handled fussily, with multiple angles and a piling-on of clever-clever visual gags. One can accept this (just as one would tricks of a similar spirit in a Lubitsch film), but not when it seems a deliberate distraction or evasion: Johnson seems to want his gags more than exposition, logic or, for that matter, more sophisticated humour. In this respect, he’s a lot like his heroes, so beware: a con is rarely charming when you’re on the wrong side of it.—David Balzer

The Brothers Bloom festival show times:
Sept. 9, 9 p.m., Ryerson Theatre
Sept. 11, noon, Ryerson Theatre