Blu-Ray movie review of Burn after Reading
December 23, 2008
The Coen brother's follow up to critically acclaimed No Country for Old Men is an espionage comedy called Burn after Reading. This film has more in common with Fargo and The Big Lebowski than the grim and dark No Country for Old Men. The film is distinctly Coen Brother's idea of comedy. It is quirky with disjointed plot and story lines that are separated by brief and very violent encounters. Even the grim deaths are hilarious in nature. You can't help but laugh when Brad Pitt is shot in the face or when Richard Jenkins get hacked to death by Malkovich's character.
Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand play health club trainers. When a co-worker stumble across a cd containing what looks to be a sensitive government information, they proceed to blackmail the owner of the disc. In reality, the cd is a financial record of former CIA analyst played by John Malkovich. The cheating wife intends to divorce Malkovich. She secretly gathers information on him. The lawyer misplaced the CD at the health club which leads to this absurd situation. The story involves CIA, Russian Embassy, U.S. Marshall, and a gym manager in love with Frances Mcdormand's character. The story is too absurd and crazy to really fathom. But, the ride is filled with funny and really funny death scenes.
You can really see the finger prints of Coen brother's humor in this movie. The sudden and violent deaths suffered by few characters are incredibly violent and funny at the same time. The sharp dialogues by the characters are also a plus for this comedy. There are absolutely no weakness in casting as topHollywood actors and actress such as Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, and Tilda Swinton all deliver top notch performances.
This might appeal to everyone's sense of humor. And, people expecting a movie similar to No Country for Old Men will be disappointed. Some have complained about the absurdity of the plot. It is absurd but that just makes it more enjoyable. The reaction by the CIA bosses at the end of the movie is just priceless. If you enjoyed Fargo and The BigLebowski, you will definitely enjoy this comedic gem.
What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.
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The Idiocy Of This World
It’s easy to watch a Coen brothers film and leave it wondering exactly what the point was. Their films seem to be exercises in hilarious subtleties, demonstrating humanity’s most interesting strengths and weaknesses. The plots sprawl and fray, the characters seem to exist independently of each other, and the whole thing can often come across as slapdash. Or so muted that the only impression it leaves is quizzical.
I’ve been a huge fan for a long time (ever since I saw Blood Simple, in fact), and I don’t believe these guys have ever made a movie that didn’t have a serious point to make. Even The Big Lebowski, arguably one of their most absurd works, had a lot to say about the way honest laziness can sometimes thrive in spite of the malicious excesses of those who are more powerful and harder working.
“So, what did we learn?” asks a CIA official at the end of BURN AFTER READING. Well, let’s see.
The film begins with CIA analyst Osborne Cox (a spot-on Malkovich) being demoted due to alcoholism. Cox, rather than be disgraced, quits and begins work on his memoirs (between drinks). The CIA keeps tabs on him, and around him suddenly swirls a mess of senseless intrigue that involves a twitchy sex addict who works for the Treasury (George Clooney), a vain and desperate gym employee (Frances McDormand), and her clueless (but Can Do!) buddy, Chad (Brad Pitt). When Cox’s memoirs make their way into McDormand’s hands, she sees a way to solve her woes by blackmailing the analyst into paying for a bevy of cosmetic surgeries.
Aside from the typically convoluted plot, the film is a dark and dead-pan comedy about how the frailties of adulthood (alcoholism, sexual indiscretions, blind personal vanity) can alter the lives of people who deserve much better. Looked at from head-on, the movie is sorta depressing, even though many of the characters get exactly what they’re looking for. That’s, of course, not really the point.
Near the end of the film, analyst Cox confronts a person who has become involved in the plot to use his memoirs for personal gain. “You represent the idiocy of this world,” he sneers. Making sense of idiocy is something the Coen brothers have been doing for a long, long time, and even if the government agents keeping tabs on all the lies and greed-grubbing don’t do such a good job of learning from the craziness, that doesn’t mean an astute viewer can’t find something to take away from the theatre.
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Purchased Used
Received in very good condition, with quick dilevery. DVD played beautifully with no problems or destortion.
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Good, not great
I was hoping for a little more, but it was an okay movie. Wish I had rented rather than owned. Seemed to build up better than it ended.
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MOVIE BURN AFTER READING…
MOVIE WAS OK, NOTHING GREAT ABOUT IT. ALMOST BORING. BRAD PITT MUST BE HURTING TO DO THIS FLICK. STUPID ENDING AND PLOT. WASTE OF MONEY.
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Burn Before Watching
This has to be the worst movie I have ever sat through. My wife and two of our friends watched this, and when it was over, we just sat staring at each other, wondering how we would get back the 96 minutes of our life wasted on this. Funny, I like all the actors in this film, but it just didn’t work for me, and I wasn’t alone. If you must see it, wait until it’s on TV, don’t waste money on the Disc.
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No Stars
Should be renamed “Burn before Watching”. This so called movie is a horrible waste of an otherwise prefectly good DVD. It’s a shame you have to give it at least 1 star to voice an opinion.
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A waste of time
Given the stars involved in this movie I had great expectations.
Unfortunately they were never realized.
The movie starts out where a CIA agent is being demoted, so he quits. That evening he and his wife are slated to go to a party and in the ensuing commotion of getting ready, when she finally lets him get a word in edgewise, he tells her of his day. He tries to sell this as great opportunity to write his memoirs. She feels he’s being irresponsible and complains to her lover. Her lover is a husband of a successful child book writer and beds all sorts of disenfranchised women. So when she leaves her ex CIA hubby, her lover realizes he is in a pinch.
In the mean time, a lowly health club worker is on her way to re invent herself, frustrated that her health insurance won’t pay for cosmetic surgery. She complains to her smitten former priest boss and daffy co worker about the injustice of it all. Then a CD with the former CIA agents financials is found in the health club where they work. They see this as an opportunity for extortion. Unfortunately when that person is as unhinged as this CIA agent is, it does not go well.
I could explain, how the rest of the story unfolded, as the trailers give you that much, but it would be as boring as the rest of this movie.
Each actor does well, their characters are well done, mind you very one dimensional. George Clooney as the paranoid rake. Frances McDormand as the single minded women intent on plastic surgery. John Malkovich as the disenfranchised CIA agent. Brad Pitt as the stupid jock. Yadda, Yadda, Yadda. I’m boring myself writing this review.
I’m sure the story was intended as a zany dark comedy. However for me, it just never gets there. Some scenes are gruesome. Most are predictable.
You just wince at the stupidity of it all.
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No plot, no hero, no reason to watch.
It was well filmed, and had good performances, but the plot concerned a lot of unlikely people, who did not knew each other, interacting in unlikely ways. None of them were people with which you would want to spend time. There was no point, no moral lesson. It was analogous to throwing beer bottles agains a brick wall and watching pieces fly everywhere. You do not really learn anything.
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Burn Before Seeing
For a fan of the Cohen brothers, this movie was horribly disappointing. The best parts of the movie, sans one, were featured in the trailer. The characters, while interesting were two dimensional and began to grind on my nerves within ten minutes of their introduction. Towards the end of the movie, I ceased caring about the fates of any of the characters. Others likely will disagree, but the magic of Raising Arizona, Fargo or O Brother was missing from this film.
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Clever But Average
Another black comedy from the unique minds of the Coen Brothers sees a middle-aged woman trying to finance some cosmetic surgery through unorthodox methods. The plot is clever and does keep you intrigued as each of the 4 main characters are linked to keep you guessing as to the outcome. As performances go Tilda Swenton is great in the ‘lead’ role with George Clooney and John Malkovich also adding stellar performances. Much is made of Brad Pitt’s ‘idiot’ portrayal, but I thought that it was just an ordinary performance and certainly nothing to rave about. Although this movie is cleverly written, it does not raise it above the level of an average film. The ending is ’sudden’ and a bit of an ‘anti-climax’. I enjoyed watching it, but after seeing it, it wouldn’t have bothered me in the slightest if I passed this one up. Enjoyable but forgettable.
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Wait…what just happened?
The Coen Bros. have pretty much made their mark on film. They have been nominated for best picture for ‘Fargo’, created one of the greatest cult classics in ‘The Big Lebowski and got Oscar gold with ‘No Country For Old Men’ The Coen Bros are the epitome of originally and dry comedy and know how to use their actors both well known and unknown. Then there is ‘Burn After Reading’. The Coen Bros. do it again, great cast, very dry humor and pure originality. Still, with ‘Burn After Reading’ it’s very hard to finish that movie satisfied, because you wonder if it made any sense at all.
From what I was able to make out of it John Malcovich brilliantly portrays a recently fired government agent, who decides to write a book. His information, somehow ends up in the hands of two yokel gym instructors played brilliantly by Francis McDormand and Brad Pitt (In my opinion this is his greatest comedic role since True Romance) Now the movie has become a game to retrieve the disc of information while everyone is sleeping with everyone and everyone is looking over their shoulders thinking someone is watching them. Even in the end when this case is brought to light to the head of this mysterious organization which is pretty much in the background of the whole film he can’t even figure out what the hell is going on.
I had high hopes for this movie. I did feel the cast did a great job, which is why I gave this movie two stars. I have become a big fan of Tilda Swinton since I saw her in Narnia. I feel she has great potential to become a real legend in her field. She already won an Oscar along side George Clooney. George Clooney, I really didn’t get in this movie. I mean he knows how to work his role, but in this film I really didn’t understand what he was there for. This movie itself just keeps you asking questions and probably the biggest question of all you will have is…how in God’s name did I manage to sit through this movie? I would just watch The Big Lebowski again, at least with that movie The Dude abides.
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Brad baby, you did it well
As big Coen brothers fans, my wife and I were looking forward to another Fargo or something like that. But that is the suspense of the Coens —or Forrest Gump. Like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.
The frustrations come through, but the plot is rather thin. Can rage alone carry this group of stars to the end?
Enter Brad Pitt as Chad, the perfect trainer for any private gym and fitness center. He is dealing with some serious CIA-type stuff, but with a smile, tons of charm and an eternal optimism, just like most of us have first thing in the morning, until we hear the latest national and international economic news.
Pitt does not take much seriously, right through the story and well there are consequences. But he (maybe) reads the greed and rage in those around him who have absolute zero sense of humor.
So see it soon, and turn the volume up whenever Brad has some lines.
earl
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Dissapointing
Sounded like a funny movie with dark comedy, but turned into a pointless plot with added violence. Mainly pretty depressing, pointless story. Most of the “funny” parts were more of “hmm.. thats almost funny”, but even that is only about 3 spots in the movie.
Sum of the story- guy gets laid off from CIA, everyone is sleeping with everyone behind everyone’s back, and everyone gets killed except the lady who started everything.
Sounded good with an ex CIA agent, everyone sleeping around, and famous actors, but nothing could make that plot into a good dark comedy
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slight black comedy
This sour and slight black comedy takes a bunch of characters, some twisted and nasty, others plain dumb, and sets them in motion in a twirling dance of misunderstanding that can only lead to disaster. It’s a kind of post-modern farce. We laugh at their troubles believing they deserve them because they are so unsympathetic or idiotic or both.
John Malkovich plays a disaffected CIA spook writing an explosive memoir. He’s married to stiff, British Tilda Swinton who’s having an affair with his best friend, a womanizing, jogging-addict George Clooney.
Then we meet Frances McDormand, on the verge of middle-age, working in a fitness center, so desperate to get every type of plastic and reconstructive surgery that’s available she’ll do literally anything. Brad Pitt contributes an amusing turn as her brainless colleague.
When the Malkovich character accidentally drops a disc of his memoir in the gym, the plot starts moving. Pitt and McDormand try to blackmail him and when that doesn’t work offer to sell the CD to the Russians.
Various twists and turns ensue and everyone but one character meet richly-deserved gruesome ends.
It’s all fairly amusing but, given the Coen brothers’ track record, well below their best work.
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Not as good as I expected.
Considering the people that were in this, I really expected more. It wasn’t that funny. I think it was Brad Pitt’s worst role. Maybe George Clooney’s too. They just weren’t funny.
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