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Reviews of Burn After Reading
"Report back to me when this makes sense!"
Posted : 7 months ago on 29 May 2009 03:06
(A review of Burn After Reading)"Jesus, what a clusterfuck!"
For the Coen Brothers, Burn After Reading is a refreshing departure from the brooding, staid tone of 2007's No Country For Old Men (a superb movie that earned the twosome a handful of Oscars). Such a searing thriller as their 2007 Best Picture winner is a hard act to follow. As is often their style, the filmmaking duo elected to go in another direction with their follow-up film - delivering an absurd, Coen-esque black comedy. Burn After Reading can best be described as either a thriller with a high quotient of comedic elements, or (if you prefer) a dark comedy with a high quotient of thriller elements. As is frequently the case with features created by Joel & Ethan Coen, this is a difficult film to categorise, but it doesn't make it any less enjoyable.
Burn After Reading is definitely not for the cynical film-goer - it's fundamentally without a plot as it's mainly concerned with presenting various amusing character vignettes. Not even the Coen Brothers themselves would be able to tell you the point of their 2008 project, nor could they clearly outline the plot. To quote Ethan Coen, the film is more or less about "the covert world of the C.I.A. and internet dating". And to this formerly untapped mixture of indolent espionage and modern internet dating, they also add '70s conspiracy thriller elements and personal training, not to mention sexual deviancy as well. In a career steeped in peculiarity, this is another classic example of the Coen Brothers' penchant for tossing an assortment of wacky ideas and movie references into the blender to see what flavour materialises.
Burn After Reading spotlights a collection of characters too wrapped up in their own vanity to take even the slightest notice of their outlandish actions. At the centre of the story (if it can even be called as such) is Osbourne Cox (Malkovich), a C.I.A. analyst who quits his job in a fit of pique when the agency demotes him. The disgruntled Cox then decides to write a tell-all memoir, but a disk containing a copy of these hastily-penned revenge memoirs falls into the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees: Linda (McDormand) and gung-ho personal trainer Chad (Pitt). The witless duo, believing they've found something of great value, attempt to turn this disk into cash, blackmailing Osbourne into paying them for the return of his memoirs. When Osbourne refuses to pay for the disk's return, Linda and Chad set out to steal more and sell it to the Russians. Also in the mix is Harry (Clooney); a married Treasury agent who's having an affair with Osbourne's wife (Swinton) while also cheating on his mistress with Linda. A few additional melodramatic subplots are also included for best effect.
As you'd expect, the Coen Brothers continue to pile it on, deepening the plot and incorporating a number of shock moments made all the more effective due to the matter-of-fact way in which they are delivered. The screenplay (also penned by the two directors) never takes itself too seriously, with comedic moments scattered around haphazardly. Some of these are merely amusing, others are clever, and the rest are just downright hilarious. A pair of conversations between two C.I.A. honchos (played by David Rasche and J.K. Simmons) are by far the funniest scenes the film has to offer (at one point Simmons even tells Rasche to report back to him when everything makes sense; a bit of a reflection on the script). A back-stabbing, double-crossing, exhaustively absurd caper with black comedic enrichments, Burn After Reading is a beauty; an electric symphony of impetuous idiots left to their own devices, leaving behind a trail of violence and bewilderment with every move they make. Backed by an enchanting score from Carter Burwell and lensed by ace four-time Academy Award winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, this Coen Brothers production fearlessly dives into a dense mess, keen to capture every single beat of surprise.
An intriguing combination of Fargo, Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski, Burn After Reading is one of the better films from the mind of the Coen Brothers (unquestionably better than the dire Intolerable Cruelty). In a nutshell, the film is an odd screwball comedy concentrating on a group of idiots who engage in idiotic conversations and make utterly ridiculous decisions. None of these clowns ever truly think about what they're doing, and watching them being forced to deal with the consequences of their silly actions is absolutely delicious. The material allows the directors to play to their strengths, i.e. their sense of devious comic timing. The script's witty dialogue is often hysterically funny as well. There's also a fair amount of violence thrown in for good measure, but said violence is usually brutal and unsettling to the point of distraction. The use of such brutal violence in a light-hearted comedy is jarring...it kills the laughs. The film is hampered by this serious fault. The overall plot also lacks both real direction and an anchor, which is another drawback of an otherwise solid movie.
The kinetic and inventive visual style of the Coen Brothers as well as the precision of their writing is frequently discussed, but the directorial duo's greatest gift may lie in their ability to assemble an impressive ensemble cast and coax remarkable performances from the entire ensemble. The casting for Burn After Reading is pitch perfect, and virtually all of the characters were written with these precise actors in mind (Tilda Swinton is one of the only exceptions). By employing members of their large acting family in addition to able newcomers to the Coen universe, the brothers ensure there isn't a weak performance to be found. The star-soaked ensemble cast is huge, but there is no main star - screen time is split fairly evenly between John Malkovich, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Richard Jenkins, with the hysterical duo of J.K. Simmons and David Rasche thrown in from time to time to give the film its standard Coen Brothers tone.
Brad Pitt steals the show with his high energy performance that borders on self-parody. With the exception of Pitt's character (who's energetic and enthusiastic about everything), every character is struggling with some form of misery. Frances McDormand (Joel Coen's wife) places forth a mesmerising performance as Linda, who's worried about her appearance and is longing for plastic surgery. Frances does excellent screwball work alongside George Clooney, who turns down the charm and enhances the sleeze in the unusual role of a sex addict. Watching Clooney interact with Tilda Swinton is terrific, especially considering that they played rivals in 2007's Michael Clayton. The bristling John Malkovich does what he does best - acting weird before eventually losing it. Malkovich is truly impeccable as he angrily shouts at his co-stars (one of the funniest aspects of this feature).
Returning to the sharp comedy that has defined most of their prior features, which is accompanied by a crime-laced plot that also recalls several of their past films, the Coen Brothers take absurdity to a new level with Burn After Reading. Watching the film's eccentric characters bumbling about is nothing short of a wildly entertaining experience, with a supporting turn by J.K. Simmons as the perturbed head of the C.I.A. nearly worth a viewing in itself. The portrayal of the C.I.A. as a clueless agency that doesn't appear to take intelligence very seriously makes Burn After Reading more of an espionage spoof than anything else. This story of spies, personal fitness workers, and their diverse struggles through middle life, encompassing blackmail, perversion, death, and infidelity, is the darkest of comedies, and is an easy recommendation for any fan of the Coen Brothers who'll effortlessly embrace the film. Absurdity rules supreme in Burn After Reading, and that is exactly why this flick is so refreshingly enjoyable. It's merely a quirky tale about unintelligent intelligence...that's the Coens for you.
7.8/10
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Burn After Reading review
Posted : 8 months, 1 week ago on 20 April 2009 12:50
(A review of Burn After Reading)I was *really* excited about this movie, because I love Brad Pitt, George Clooney, but mostly I loved all the movies they starred on, including the ones they starred on *together*... until now. It's okay, but it's not what I thought it would be. I had lots of expectations about this movie and in the end I don't think it was very bright, and I don't even think of it as a comedy, if you don't consider Brad Pitt's character - he was really amazing in this movie and made up for all the "best comedy of the year" reviews. He was awesome! But as for the rest, it wasn't very funny, and it wasn't very clever. It's just okay I guess, it entertained me a lot... But I really think it could have been better.
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What the fuck? oh right
Posted : 12 months ago on 26 December 2008 05:09
(A review of Burn After Reading)Brilliant dark comedy! exceptional acting by the always wonderful Malkovich. A story of how small scale plans evolve into an unrecognizable mess. Very entertaining and ingtriguing the whole way trough. Great cast and evan greater caracters. most frequently used line was probably "what the fuck", but always in good humour and carefully placed. Fucking awesome!
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Burn baby burn!
Posted : 1 year, 2 months ago on 18 October 2008 04:54
(A review of Burn After Reading)''What a clusterfuck!''
A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it.
George Clooney : Harry Pfarrer
What Burn After Reading results in, is one of the things the Coen Brothers to best and that is black comedy.
It equals them going back to the style of Fargo and some real character detailed figures and their relationships and bonds with each other. Not to mention them all having affairs and sleeping with each other in a confused multiple array.
What's nice is that as soon as it begins we are thrown right into proceedings with a CIA Analyst who is demoted, then he quits seeing it as a major insult. We then have him having a shot at writing and recording his memoirs that compile of his time at the CIA.
Also we find his wife is having an affair, and also the man having the affair is a womanizing hot shot, who's also married and begins dating a woman at the Gym.
Things begin to hot up, going back to the Analysts memoirs, everything starts to get interesting when two Gym workers find the CD in a locker...
''Appearances can be... deceptive.''
Performances are actually a star lit success from all the major players.
George Clooney as Harry Pfarrer, is right at home here as a bearded Law enforcer type guy, who's got all these strange allergies and attractions to alot of different women.
Frances McDormand as Linda Litzke shows us yet again she can do funny black humour like she did in Fargo. Her chemistry with Pitt & Clooney is top notch. Her marriage with Joel Coen finally seems like its paying off after this 2nd outing and her last Oscar win she secured.
John Malkovich as Osbourne Cox, the fading drinking Analyst, is such a funny character who is always swearing, having a temper and generally well versed in the ways of writing and speaking given his previous position at the CIA, this is understandable. Results in a pivotal and indeed memorable character.
Tilda Swinton as Katie Cox who is the Doctor wife of Mr Cox, shows Tilda can play the stone cold bitch, who likes her partners on a leash. Especially not just with Malkovitch but with Clooney too, who seem to have got back together since their Michael Clayton days.
Brad Pitt as Chad Feldheimer, the other Gym guy, who everyone wants to see dancing and doing his moves. He was funny I admit, but I think a little over-hyped in what people expected out of him in the movie. You're never going to believe what happens, I can assure you.
''You're a Mormon. Compared to you we all have a drinking problem.''
Overall Burn After Reading has Comedy, it has tension when needed with thrilling music, it has a star drenched cast and a plot that really explodes into action when the ball is rolling. Once all the characters are fleshed out, things do get very interesting.
The ending with David Rasche as CIA Officer and J.K. Simmons asCIA Superior, is going to be iconic and memorable for years to come I'm thinking, it was pure genius. While No Country for Old Men had a poetic flair, Burn After Reading has a piss take of sorts on the whole intelligence Agency/Government ability to know what's going on. So what you waiting for? Go see it!
''What did we learn?''
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Una banda di idioti
Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 23 September 2008 06:59
(A review of Burn After Reading)Una banda di idioti: il titolo del bel libro di J.K. Toole si adatta bene al nuovo film dei fratelli Coen e alla sua compagnia di stralunati personaggi. La campagna pubblicitaria, ed anche il bel manifesto stile anni ’60, possono indurre in errore: chi andasse al cinema aspettandosi una commedia scatenata, con battute e risate ad ogni passo, rimarrebbe deluso. Si ride, è vero, ma è un riso a denti stretti mentre si osserva questo insieme di piccoli uomini e piccole donne che si dibattono inutilmente per i loro piccoli scopi: del film si può godere anche a livello epidermico, non mancano dialoghi e soprattutto situazioni divertenti, ma la sua costruzione è qualcosa di più complesso. Il tocco noir, l’intersezione dei piani narrativi, l’umorismo acido, la mediocrità dei personaggi – e del loro mondo e, sottinteso, degli Sati Uniti – sono il marchio che i Coen su questa sconclusionata vicenda, che è solo un pretesto per indagare comportamenti e modi di pensare. Per tutta la durata della pellicola, nessuno vede oltre il proprio naso, e tutti questi grotteschi egoismi condurranno ad un punto di non ritorno. Gli attori paiono essere in sintonia con chi li dirige. Clooney, ormai lanciato sulle tracce di Clark Gable, dà spessore al suo agente stressato ed erotomane, mentre Brad Pitt si diverte nel suo personaggio di ‘scemo più scemo’. Malkovich gigioneggia fra un whisky ed una paranoia, Tilda Swinton è per l’ennesima volta una glaciale virago e Frances McDormand dà, con la mediocre Linda, la rappresentazione di come si possa far di tutto per realizzare aspirazioni modeste. “Che cazzo di storia…”, commentano i due ufficiali della CIA, messi lì un po’ come i due vecchietti dei Muppets o, più nobilmente, a mo’ di coro greco: non si può non essere d’accordo…
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