Burn Before Viewing?

Rating: 6/10 (3 October 2008)

You have to hand it to the Coen Brothers, the maverick satirists of American idiocy (and its resulting comedy-of-errors quirkiness): only they would dare to follow up their most critically-acclaimed, Oscar-winning films with offbeat comedies that are no less consequential when it comes to the bloody consequences of man's avarice. "Fargo" was followed by the cult classic "The Big Lebowski," and now the Best Picture-winning "No Country for Old Men" has "Burn After Reading," a jolting, surprising comedy that shows the film-making duo's mastery of cinematic form as a source of humor...and frustration. The plot (a gleeful jumble that recalls the tone and vulgarity of "Lebowski") concerns a discharged CIA agent's (John Malkovich) memoirs falling into the hands of two self-absorbed gym employees (Frances McDormand and an inspired Brad Pitt); meanwhile, a close-knit circle of Washington insiders (George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, et al) swap wives and find themselves entwined in what seems like a vast conspiracy (even the Russians are brought in to juxtapose Cold War paranoia against our post-9/11 era of fear) that is really just a string of misunderstandings inspired by the simplest of minds. While this is the Coens' umpteenth variation on the premise (after "Blood Simple," "Fargo," "Lebowski," and "No Country"), "Burn" shows them toying more with the mechanics of storytelling than before: there is a deliberate (yet also slow) buildup that holds back humor in favor of establishing character; and it is based on this knowledge that the film's last half often erupts in hilarity. And while the broad, artificial-feeling characters run the risk of throwing "Burn" into self-parody, the brilliant cast elevates what could have been throwaway caricatures. While a marginal effort in the Coens' unique filmography, "Burn" remains a distinct delicacy in a cinematically mundane year.