Farcical drama

Rating: Null/10 (2 February 2014)

"What have we learned from this?" "I have no idea, sir."
That pretty much sums up this movie, directed by the Coen brothers and featuring an all-star cast, including George Clooney, John Malkovich and Brad Pitt to name a few. The movie starts with Malkovich's character Osborne Cox retiring from CIA and deciding to write his memoirs. We get introduced to his family and friends, plus a couple of other characters from a local gym, and then... complications ensue. That's pretty much the only way I can describe the plot without giving anything away. I'd like to say that it's typical Coen wackiness with many complicated twists and turns, but even for them this is out there.
It honestly feels like a total mess, but it feels like a purposeful mess. It's complicated, but it's never hard to follow. It's unrealistic, but still plausible. It's weird, but that's what makes it interesting. You never quite know where the story will go next and when it starts throwing curve balls at you, you're both shocked and pleasantly surprised.
I also really like all the characters. They feel like movie characters in that they're very clear cut and a bit larger than life, yet their struggles feel real and you get their blights. Pretty much none of them is all that likable and those that are still do some questionable things, but they're sympathetic beneath all their misnomers.
It's also a very funny movie. Most of the humour comes from the absurdity of the situation and the desperation of the characters. They're all tragic personas, but in a way that's more amusing than it's depressing.
Definitely worth seeing if you like Coen brothers, crime comedies or farcical dramas.