Laugh While Watching

Rating: 8/10 (9 November 2008)

Burn After Reading is an infectious comedy from those pesky Coen brothers. Too bad that many reviewers here couldn't appreciate it. Like all Coen movies, it's strange and often unlike anything else you've seen before. It's fairly characteristic of them rather than a departure from their previous style, so if you've enjoyed their old movies then you should check this one out.
I think it's the kind of movie that grows on you, and which you're going to like even better over the years; the movie has many subtleties in it which you can only spot and appreciate over repeated viewings. But don't worry, you'll get most of it the first time.
Essentially, the movie shows fairly average beltway denizens behaving stupidly, with a good amount of bureaucracy and bad luck stirred in for good measure. It's not so much intellectual satire as much as smart slapstick. I'm not going to go into the cast, but it's both A-list and excellent. Even the bit parts are memorable, and will hopefully provide rich pickings for other directors. And it's got David Rasche (Sledge Hammer) in it, and he's awesome yet again!
Kind of hard to rate this one, but for sheer entertainment value it'd be a straight ten.
Just a few Q&A's you might want to know about this movie:
*Is it a poignant satire of the CiA? A damning indictment of the American secret service and military community in general? Or of the Bush administration? -- Not really. It's not political, it's simply a comedy.
*Many people seem not to have liked this, why? -- Beats me. Maybe they were expecting poignant political satire, when really the movie is just comedy. And the story is fairly complex so that you're left a bit puzzled when the titles roll.
*What's that wedge pillow which Clooney's character takes with him when he's leaving his lover? -- It's a sex wedge, a pillow designed to facilitate the bumping of uglies. Apparently.