Not Funny

Rating: 7/10 (22 September 2008)

At a tipping point in the Cohen Brothers' "Burn After Reading", CIA Superior played by the wonderful J.K. Simmons ("Juno") and his CIA Officer played by hysterical straight man David Rasche have a profound exchange. Simmons says, "So what did we learn from all this?" Bewildered Rasche replies, "Um I don't know." To which Simmons concludes, "I don't f---ing know either." That pretty much summed it up for me, after watching an hour and an half of "Burn After Reading". And with the movie's conclusion I soon left the theater.
The most surprising thing about Ethan Cohen and Joel Cohen's "Burn After Reading" is that it is not funnypainfully not. You have Oscar Winners George Clooney, Francis McDormand, and Tilda Swinton, and Oscar Nominees Brad Pitt and John Malkovich either playing complete idiots or raving psychos. Granted for some the Cohen Brothers are doing art here. However, the over acting particularly on the part of George Clooney as moronic Treasury Agent Harry Pfarrer, and complete moron personal fitness trainer Chad Feldheimer played by Brad Pitt is utterly embarrassing. The cast could have all taken the advice of Robert Downey Jr.'s Kirk Lazarus from "Tropic Thunder", who in a cleaned up and politically correct vernacular advised actors to never play mentally disabled full out. Lazarus said it more plainly than I.
One has to wonder during the making of the movie, that some assistant didn't say, "Hey George, you might want to throttle back just a tad" The Cohen brothers are geniuses; but not here. The only actor that fairs well is Tilda Swinton which is a testament to her prowess and intelligence shining through. Here is the thing: Everyone in "Burn After Reading" is stupid playing stupid as opposed to stupid playing smart--which would be funny. There is no inherent irony in the characters. And in the case of Clooney, Pitt, and McDormand their characters have the I.Q. of squash. It's like paraphrasing Forrest GumpStupid is, as stupid does. Rather here: stupid is stupid, and not funny.
And with the characters that are not stupid like Malkovich's Osborne Cox; the man is an arrogant unsympathetic ass. I think Swinton, who plays Osborne's wife Katie in part gets a pass for having to put up with all the other idiots and her insufferable husband. Swinton's performance is killer, and has the only semblance of authenticity. Fortunately, the minor characters like the CIA guys, Simmons and Rasche, remind us that "Burn After Reading" was intended as a macabre comedy. Giving the Cohen brothers their due: They execute the incongruous and macabre elements to perfection.
"Burn After Reading" is the collision of the stone cold stupid and the heinously arrogant. Osborne Cox (Malkovich) is demoted as the CIA's top analyst, because he is an alcoholic. Instead Oz quits the CIA, and embarks upon writing his memoirs which would reveal classified information vital to national security. Oz's suffering wife is successful physician Katie Cox (Swinton). Katie is secretly having an affair with obtuse Treasury Agent Harry (Clooney). Somehow Oz's memoir CD turns up at a health club, and in the hands of Chad (Pitt) and Linda Litzke (Francis McDormand). Chad realizes that he and Linda could exhort the CD owner for a fortune. Aging personal trainer Linda sees this as the leveraging point for getting the money she desperately needs for cosmetic surgery and liposuction, which her HMO refuses to pay. Self absorbed Linda also pursues a relationship with the married Harry (Clooney) through an on-line dating service. Linda is blatantly unaware that her boss at the club, Ted (Richard Jenkins) is in love with her. Philandering Harry also promises Katie (Swinton) that he will leave his successful Children's book author wife Sandy (Elizabeth Marvel). Well, not really. All is intentionally and needlessly convoluted. In the end we really don't learn a f---ing thing. More disappointingly, "Burn After Reading" is not really funny.