A Poster Kept “The Brothers Bloom” from Box Office Success - Reluctantly watched it last night and it ended up being one of my favorite films this year.

So I’ve stayed away from this movie because I’m guilty of juding a book by its cover, or, in this case, a movie by its misleading poster design.  Yes, it’s my responsibility to stay up on who’s directing who, and what DP is hot or not, but sometimes I let the movie poster guide my interest because it’s what I see on the computer, my iphone, and most importantly, my AppleTV (the source of most of my trailer watching). 

So here’s what’s wrong with it:  The Brothers Bloom is a well-written, beautifully-shot film with a fun yet sophisticated storyline filled with witty charm.  The setting is brilliant—characters with a classic appeal (circa early 1900’s) juxtaposed by modern day surroundings.  The poster says otherwise.  Despite the double Oscar winning all-star cast, the poster says this is the sequel to The Transporter II.  I’m not sure what focus group steered the marketing team of this film, but they were way off. Movie posters should say something about the film.  They shouldn’t just look cinematic, they should be accurate to the genre and the audience they represent.  This poster was anything but classy and unworthy of a quality film such as The Brothers Bloom.  Here are some suggestions:

• I imagine a film like this would have a poster with more of an literary feel, perhaps something utilizing some of the more “classic” elements such as the modes of transportation they use or the historic backdrops they travel to. 
  
• Lose the all caps grunge look and go with a classy, old-world serif typeface.
  
• If you’re going to play off of the explosion thing, make it a subtle design element, not something overpowering.
  

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