Slightly funnier than I thought

Rating: 6/10 (14 June 2018)

Now that I've watched at least ten Coen films, and seen them at least twice each, I feel inclined to draw conclusions about the oeuvre. A friend of mine in the film business told me that it's the director who makes the film. The actor may sell the film, since people often just want to see him/her. But the ultimate merit of a film depends on the writer. This is where the Coens may be lacking. Their scripts are said to be extremely well-prepared before shooting. But that doesn't necessarily mean they contain any substance. Coen films can give an impression of having been thrown together in the form of several episodic cameos, compelling or amusing, but somehow lacking unity. This is the case with BUR, I feel, and may account for those reviewers who express their dissatisfaction with it.
I would say the Coens' most solid and impressive production is No Country for Old Men, and that may be because it is based directly on someone else's book. It seems to mean something. The Coen remakes are not good, and one wonders why they were made.. The trouble with something like Burn After Reading, is that it seems ultimately pointless, although it is funny in parts. There is a tendency in many of these films for people to croak. Death is a joke. Perhaps most comedy lacks substance. Burn after Reading is a makeshift title.