Information:
Rachel plays: Penelope Stamp
Director: Rian Johnson
Writers: Rian Johnson
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Crime, Romance, Comedy
Filming: Montenegro, Romania, Serbia
Status: Complete
Story:
Brothers - older Stephen and three years junior Bloom - have been con artists since they were kids. Stephen is the mastermind, for who the intricacy of the story used in the con is as important as the positive outcome of the swindle. Bloom is the main character of Stephen's stories, the character he considers the anti-hero. As adults, they travel the world and never enlist the same people twice in their cons, except for their consistent sidekick, the mysterious and primarily silent Bang Bang, a Japanese woman who just appeared in their lives one day and who has a penchant for blowing things up. As Bloom hits his mid-thirties, he wants to quit the business as he is losing his own identity to that of the characters he portrays; he doesn't know anymore what is real and what is make-believe. Stephen talks him into one last con, the mark to be the eccentric, lonely but beautiful New Jersey heiress, Penelope Stamp. Penelope's primary past-time in life is to, as she calls it, "borrow hobbies": when she sees something she likes, she learns how to do it solely through reading books. As the brothers go through their final con on Penelope, three main problems may occur to thwart the plan. First, the brothers' former mentor and now arch enemy, Diamond Dog, may exact his long awaited revenge on the brothers. Second, Penelope may end up being more unpredictable than all their former marks. And third, Bloom, who has let love slip by in his life, may fall for Penelope. But through the process, no one ever really knows who is conning who.
Tagline:
Cast:
Rachel Weisz - Penelope Stamp
Adrian Brody - Bloom
Mark Ruffalo - Stephen
Robbie Coltrane -
The Curator
Rinko Kikuchi - Bang Bang
Release Date:
27. August 2009 (Germany)
23. September 2008 (USA)
26. September 2008 (Spain)
05. August 2009 (France)
12. November 2009 (Australia)
Images:
Videos:
Trivia:
Rachel Weisz was the first actor to sign on to the film.
Weisz learned how to play piano, violin, accordion, and break-dance, to juggle, do karate, play Ping-Pong, banjo, unicycle, and even skateboard for her role as Penelope.
Tom Cruise is credited with special thanks in regards to the film due to his initial interest in the film that led to a lengthy 3 hour meeting with Rian Johnson. Cruise's analysis of the script led to a few significant changes of the key elements of the script. As this meeting occurred precisely the same day Cruise's company was taken off by Paramount, Rian felt this was a more than generous act on Cruise's behalf. However, due to scheduling conflicts as well as other factors, Cruise could never be a serious consideration for one of the lead roles.
Rian Johnson always intended Rinko Kikuchi's role as Bang Bang to be silent.
Out of the quartet of caperers, Rian Johnson found the character of Bang Bang the most fun to write. Bloom was the easiest, and Penelope was the most difficult because he wanted her character to transcend the sum of her quirks, despite having the most personal connection to her. Johnson has also admitted to wishing he could be Stephen.
The three main characters are based on characters from James Joyce's Ulysses (which in turn is based on Homer's Odyssey). Stephen is based on Stephen Daedalus, a restless young writer in two of Joyce's novels; in The Brothers Bloom, Stephen plans their cons with a writer's flair. Bloom is based on Leopold Bloom, who is wandering around Dublin, trying to find himself and his way back to his wife. In The Brothers Bloom, Bloom is figuratively looking for himself, and ultimately finds his way to Penelope. In The Odyssey, Penelope is Odysseus' wife who waits for him through all of his travels; likewise, here, Penelope awaits Bloom through his wanderings.
Bang Bang says only three words in the entire film, not counting the karaoke she does.
Penelope's quote "A picture is a secret about a secret. The more it tells, the less you know" is actually a quote by acclaimed American photographer Diane Arbus (1923-1971). The biographical film Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006), featured Nicole Kidman as Diane Arbus; one of the 20th century's most revered photographers.
last updated on December 29, 2009
