Whether or not he is really dead is up to a viewer's discretion. As Bloom leaves the theater, Stephen holds up a deck of cards and asks Bloom to pick one. Stephen cuts the deck and displays the Queen of Hearts, and Bloom admits it's the best card trick he's ever seen. The Brothers Bloom was based on a screenplay by American screenwriter and director Rian Johnson. The additional $1,750,000 went to the Russians as ransom. In a way, Bloom's brother dying did pull off "the perfect con", since everyone sort of got what they wanted. We’re two dudes, and a lady, of which our tastes are quite varied. Edit, In the final scenes, Stephen pulls up a chair, sits down, and appears to die. | That's because Spontaneous is honest. Greek poet Homer. A hit man tosses Bloom a phone, … SCARE ME that released October 1st on Shudder! Well, we’re not 5 dudes in a room talking about our passion for Fight Club and Braveheart. Too many film sites cater to the same kind of audience, with one overwhelming voice in the writing, but what we treasure at Alternate Ending is diversity: diversity of opinion, diversity in belief about what film should do and how it should do it. User Reviews And it made for a great bittersweet ending. I'm sort of on the fence here. It's a site about discovering good movies... one bad movie at a time. After telling Stephen, "I love you", Bloom joins Penelope in the car, and they drive away. They also cost her car repair for the bike and dock accidents. It's a place that believes that every great movie is a wonderful new treasure, whether you see it the night of its premiere or fifty years later. In the final scene, Penelope tells Bloom that Stephen once told her, "There's no such thing as an unwritten life...just a badly written one." How much did the Bloom brothers con out of Penelope? External Reviews But just as dead men tell no tales, they also drag no chairs. Search Advanced search. This isn't a site for people who just want to talk about the latest hot new movies in theaters right this minute. ? In the DVD commentary, however, director Rian Johnson refers to Stephen as dying. How do you guys interpret the ending though? The fact that the blood on Bloom's shirt and cuff looks brown tells him that it was real blood and that Stephen wasn't pulling another con. Also what about Bang Bang? Writer-director Rian Johnson's 2005 debut feature, Alternate Ending was formed when three friends realized they all shared a passion for movies. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, News & Discussion about Major Motion Pictures, Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. Who’s going to tell Pence that flies have a bowel movement every 5 seconds. Please justify the ending of The Brothers Bloom for me. Stephen got to pull the perfect con: he told a story so well it became true, and he, Bloom, and Penelope get what they want. Our goal is to save you time and money by sharing our thoughts and recommendations on which movies to race to theaters for, which to watch at home and those to actively avoid. In Ulysses, Stephen Daedalus is a writer; in the movie, Stephen Bloom (Mark Ruffalo) plans his cons with a writer's flair. And it made for a great bittersweet ending. Edit, In the director's commentary on the DVD, Rian Johnson discusses this issue. User Ratings Cast : Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Genre : Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Romance, “Spontaneous is a lot. Rob, the film-school dropout, has seen an absurd amount of movies, and if we’re being honest, rounds out our Fight Club fan-base. Funny, sad, everything in between. In a final voiceover, Bloom remembers Stephen's assertion that the best con is the one in which everyone gets what they wanted. It is weird, fantastical, and out-of-the-box, but it is also true.”. Whether that's his real name or only a contrived name for the con is unknown. Carrie, our casual movie-goer, reminds us all that cinema is in fact supposed to be fun and entertaining and that sometimes, just sometimes, happy endings are good. Bloom demands that Stephen tell him if this is real or if it is a con. Meanwhile, Stephen has pulled a chair onto the stage, sits down on it, and dies, more blood dripping from his cuff. We want to celebrate our different opinions, and celebrate yours as well. I always viewed it as a con, and a symbolic way for his brother to show hom that he really wouldn't ask him to do another job. Bloom asks Stephen whether or not this is yet another con, but Stephen tells Bloom simply to run. "Wish you had a bigger audience," Bloom says, and Stephen replies, "You're the only audience I ever needed." Somewhat later, Bloom notices that the stage blood on his shirt cuff has turned brown and realizes that it was the real thing. Most viewers contend that Bang Bang escaped on the truck that passed in front of her car seconds before the car exploded. On the other hand, Mark Ruffalo's character did mention earlier in the film about blood turning brown after a while, and how someone should fix that...I'm not sure what do you guys think?? | Other than a moment where Diamond Dog touches Bloom's leg, however, the sexual abuse scenario was cut. Just watched it for the first time, absolutely adored this film. Edit, Bloom got Penelope (and vice versa) and an unwritten future. In his original conception of the film, he meant for Diamond Dog (Maximilian Schell) to have a history of sexually abusing Bloom (2), which explains why Bloom hates him so much. Edit, Awards Three of Johnson's primary influences were big con movies like The Sting (1973) (1973), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) (1988), and Paper Moon (1973) (1973), the story of Depression era con-man Moses Pray and his maybe/maybe-not daughter Addie Loggins. Edit, Yes. Maybe the Serbian was in for a fixed amount. Please justify the ending of The Brothers Bloom for me. Edit, According to the director, Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi) hates Barbie dolls. Well, we’re not 5 dudes in a room talking about our passion for Fight Club and Braveheart. However, the three main characters in this movie are based on characters from Irish writer James Joyce's 1922 novel Ulysses, which in turn is based on the Odyssey, written by epic B.C. In The Odyssey, Penelope is Odysseus' wife who waits for him through all of his wanderings. (There is a bit of irony in the statement, "Bloom, the day I con you is the day I die,") Bloom goes into an abandoned theater to make the exchange, and finds Stephen tied up and beaten. Does Stephen really die or is it just another con? Edit, Bloom follows the ransom note to a theater where he finds a bloodied Stephen being held captive by Diamond Dogs' men. On the other hand, Mark Ruffalo's character did mention earlier in the film about blood turning brown after a while, and how someone should fix that...I'm not sure what do you guys think? If a good con ends up with everyone getting what they want in the end, what did Stephen, Bloom, and Penelope get? As Stephen lay dying on the floor, Bloom asks him again whether this is another con. What is the importance of the blood on Bloom's cuff. This week you might have been hearing the buzz about the new horror/comedy (hormedy?) This is a place for people who can't get to the theater until the third week a film is out; a place for people who just want to find something great to stream online after the kids have gone to sleep, a place for people whose favorite pastime is to grab a bunch of classic films on DVD from the library and watch them all weekend. They hug each other, and Stephen makes Bloom promise to never return to St … He asks Penelope to pull the car off the road, and he cries in her arms. These cool-cats sat down with Grandma and Grandpa Jarosinski at Sundance this year to talk about their feature film Save Yourselves! Early in the movie, Stephen mentions that real blood turns brown an hour or so after it is spilled whereas stage blood stays red. Metacritic Reviews. We’re two dudes, and a lady, of which our tastes are quite varied. Suddenly, Stephen rolls over, jumps up, and assures Bloom that this is his final wow. Edit, $1,000,000. But a third of the first $1,000,000 went to Bang Bang or the Serbian. What makes Alternate Ending different from other film sites and podcasts? Most importantly, Stephen "just wanted Bloom to be happy." Join us for our weekly review of movies worth seeing, worth avoiding and our Top 5 lists – and don’t forget to play along at. Bloom asks Stephen whether or not this is yet another con, but Stephen tells Bloom simply to run. Edit, The only reference to what Bloom's first name might be comes from a con in which Stephen calls him "Victor." For posts related to a specific film -- beware of spoilers o ye who dareth enter! Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Johnson's follow-up, The Brothers Bloom, is also something of a genre experiment, ... What makes Alternate Ending different from other film sites and podcasts? Suddenly, Stephen rolls over, jumps up, and assures Bloom that this is his final wow. Edit, Bloom apparently doesn't think so, as he tells Stephen that Bang Bang escaped in the blast. They hug each other, and Stephen makes Bloom promise to never return to St Petersburg, to take Penelope to Rio, to tell her that they're on the run from vengeful Russians, to play it like Stephen is dead, and he promises that he'll catch up with Bloom later. | It seems evident that Stephen sits bleeding with no help on the way, and it is probably safe to presume he's dead as he goes limp. Rien n'est impossible pour eux et les mises en scène sont toutes plus spectaculaires les unes que les autres. The file is tagged "Bloom (2)", suggesting that there must be a "Bloom (1)". 4 posts • Page 1 of 1. tef Posts: 445 1157 Ratings Your TCI: na Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2009 1:57 am. Edit, The Brothers Bloom was filmed in various locations in Montenegro, Serbia, Romania, and in the city of Praque in the Czech Republic. She assures him that they're going to live like they're telling the best story in the whole world. Edit, The importance is the color of the blood. As Stephen lay dying on the floor, Bloom asks him again whether this is another con. A map of Eastern Europe, showing these countries, can be viewed here. Or was it just a con that the whole group was in on except for Bloom? A gunfight breaks out, and Stephen is shot in the back. Did Bloom's brother really die? Tim Brayton, our seasoned film critic, shares a more critical view of film, an appreciation for vintage cinema and perhaps limited-release movies that we might otherwise miss. | He and Penelope return to the car and drive off in the sunset. A gunfight breaks out, and Stephen is shot in the back. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. In Joyce's novel, Leopold Bloom wanders around Dublin, trying to find himself and his way back to his wife; in the movie, Bloom the younger (Adrien Brody) is figuratively looking for himself and ultimately finds his way to Penelope Stamp (Rachel Weisz). Bang Bang takes this opportunity to quit working for the Bloom brothers; as soon as she leaves, her car explodes, leaving Penelope and Bloom uncertain whether she was caught in the blast or faked her death. The fact that only real blood turns brown is a further indication that what just happened was not a con.