Like Brick, much of Rian Johnson's new film The Brothers Bloom is filled with crackerjack storytelling, snappy dialogue, and extraordinary visual panache. Unlike Brick, most of these arts are devoted to making us laugh, and the first 1/2 to 2/3rds of the movie are very funny indeed, and well worth seeing.<br /><br />But there's an ambiguity established while we're enjoying ourselves: is this movie fundamentally about the Brothers Bloom, or about their last con, an eccentric, beautiful young heiress named Penelope Stamp? Sure, the movie is named for the Brothers, but not only was the script originally titled Penelope, Penelope's quirky character also still brims with so much mystery and potential for surprise in the finished film that one can't help but wonder if the resolution of her character's journey won't place the spotlight firmly on her.<br /><br />Alas, it does not. Somewhere between Act IV and Act V, the focus shifts firmly back to Stephen and Bloom, leaving at least one major mystery about Penelope (how she talks herself out of a major jam in Prague) unresolved.<br /><br />Not that Penelope is the only one with major mysteries left unresolved. I would've liked to have known why two brothers named Stephen and Bloom were collectively referred to as the Brothers Bloom. Does that mean Bloom's full name is Bloom Bloom? Given that another character's name is Bang Bang, I suppose it's not beyond consideration.<br /><br />In the final analysis, though I definitely wanted to know more about the resolution of the Prague caper, movies can use more, not less unresolved mystery. But what's unavoidably disappointing about the finish of the Brothers Bloom is the feeling of lost potential as Penelope is pushed off center stage and relegated to a supporting role for the last part of the movie.<br /><br />Stephen says a couple of times that everyone gets what they want in the perfect con, but this con didn't give me what I wanted.<br /><br />All that said, I'll still be lining up for tickets ASAP when Johnson's next film comes out.