The movie Mark Ruffalo couldn’t believe everyone hated: “Shocked”

Posted On January 26, 2026January 26, 2026

Mark Ruffalo is an almost universally beloved actor who has appeared in some of the most celebrated films of the 21st century, such that his near-constant string of successes makes the rare misses in his filmography stand out like a sore thumb.

Ruffalo has seemingly done the impossible, having managed to be part of the most popular contemporary film franchise while also pursuing prestige roles, to the point where he has been praised as the best actor to ever portray the Marvel character Bruce Banner, but he’s made time within his schedule to deliver Oscar-nominated performances in The Kids Are Alright, Foxcatcher, Spotlight, and Poor Things.

What’s interesting about the actor’s success is that it did not happen overnight; Ruffalo may have broken out with his performance in Kenneth Lonergan’s family drama You Can Count On Me back in 2000, but he spent several years fishing for roles before he began to be taken more seriously. Many of the potential star vehicles that Ruffalo appeared in simply didn’t pan out the way that he expected, including The Brothers Bloom.

Written and directed by Rian Johnson, the film was a twisty con artist story about two brothers, portrayed by Ruffalo and Adrien Brody, and as one would expect from a Johnson project, The Brothers Bloom is packed with unexpected reveals, sharp comedy, and a heartfelt message about familial loyalty. It was the first real Hollywood film for the director, who was hot off the success of his independent mystery thriller Brick.

Although the project seemingly had all the components of a breakout hit, it ended up underperforming financially, and reviews weren’t much kinder. Ruffalo had appeared in films that caught backlash, but admitted to GQ that he was “shocked” by how nasty reviews for The Brothers Bloom were, as it had been a project he was very enthusiastic about.

In retrospect, it’s hard to know exactly what went wrong with the public reception to the film, which has now been treated with a more generous reception when compared to the rest of Johnson’s filmography. The director went on to have nothing but success with his subsequent work on Looper, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, several episodes of Breaking Bad, and the Knives Out trilogy, and there’s little evidence to suggest that The Brothers Bloom seriously derailed his career.

Ruffalo’s performance in the previously panned film has aged particularly well because of his ability to play eccentric characters without feeling completely unrealistic. Although being such a dedicated, grounded theatre actor could have made it hard for him to find a place in mainstream crowd pleasers, The Brothers Bloom showed he could retain his inherent likability, while also being eccentric and even a little dangerous.

There’s unfortunately a link that’s drawn by media outlets between a film’s financial performance and its quality, even when the two couldn’t be more different. With The Brothers Bloom, the fact that it didn’t meet box office expectations meant that some assumed it to be poor in quality, even if they hadn’t seen it.

When considering that nearly everyone involved in the film has gone on to find great success, including Brody and Rachel Weisz, it would seem that the film deserves to be reappraised by audiences who aren’t going to judge it for factors that have nothing to do with its quality.

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