BURN AFTER READING (2008)
BURN AFTER READING is Joel & Ethan Coen's follow up to their 2007 Best Picture winner, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007). It stars Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, John Malkovich, and J.K. Simmons. While the outstanding NO COUNTRY was the Coen brothers' first film based on an adapted screenplay, BURN AFTER READING takes us back to the brothers' demented original vision, this time channelled into dramatic comedy form.
The film features a collection of amusing but unhappy characters who are all searching for change in their lives, and willing to cut ethical corners along the way. A caper is hatched involving what appears to be a disc full of government secrets. The setting is Washington D.C., and several characters work for CIA. The film is very unsentimental and resolutely refuses to give you someone to root for. There is exactly one nice person in the movie, in a very minor role, although even he may have a shadowy past, and wait until you see what happens to him.
The first half was a little dry, and in my judgment this is not one of the Coens' best films. But as the film builds there are a couple of scenes which are so remarkable and well executed that they make the whole experience worthwhile. One of these involves a telephone call, and another involves a meeting in a CIA office. In this way, the film reminds me of Ben Stiller's comedy TROPIC THUNDER (2008). For much of its length, THUNDER is unexceptional, leaning too much on special effects and shock value. However, the film contains a few scenes which are so inspired (I'm thinking of every scene involving Tom Cruise, and a couple of late scenes with Robert Downey Jr.) as to advance the state of the art of modern comedy. So a film that initially appears mediocre turns into a can't miss event, although the whole remains less satisfying than some of its parts.
This is true to some extent of BURN AFTER READING. As a whole, though, it's pretty darn good. No fan of the Coen brothers or of the featured actors will want to miss it.
The film features a collection of amusing but unhappy characters who are all searching for change in their lives, and willing to cut ethical corners along the way. A caper is hatched involving what appears to be a disc full of government secrets. The setting is Washington D.C., and several characters work for CIA. The film is very unsentimental and resolutely refuses to give you someone to root for. There is exactly one nice person in the movie, in a very minor role, although even he may have a shadowy past, and wait until you see what happens to him.
The first half was a little dry, and in my judgment this is not one of the Coens' best films. But as the film builds there are a couple of scenes which are so remarkable and well executed that they make the whole experience worthwhile. One of these involves a telephone call, and another involves a meeting in a CIA office. In this way, the film reminds me of Ben Stiller's comedy TROPIC THUNDER (2008). For much of its length, THUNDER is unexceptional, leaning too much on special effects and shock value. However, the film contains a few scenes which are so inspired (I'm thinking of every scene involving Tom Cruise, and a couple of late scenes with Robert Downey Jr.) as to advance the state of the art of modern comedy. So a film that initially appears mediocre turns into a can't miss event, although the whole remains less satisfying than some of its parts.
This is true to some extent of BURN AFTER READING. As a whole, though, it's pretty darn good. No fan of the Coen brothers or of the featured actors will want to miss it.