Another Great Coen Bros. Comedy

Rating: 8/10 (13 October 2012)

I love that BURN AFTER READING is an engaging, and often hilarious, spy movie without any actual spies. Sure, the whole premise is centered around a former employee of the CIA but he's no more than an analyst (and a pugnacious, raging alcoholic). The actual CIA of the film has no idea what's going on, what these people are engaged in, or whether it's worth their time to investigate. The movie comes from the Coen brothers, a writing/directing team that I've yet to see fail. BURN AFTER READING probably ranks towards the top of my favorite Coen films (but it's no BIG LEBOWSKI). In the film, Osborne Cox (Malkovich) is fired from his position as an analyst within the CIA when his alcoholism becomes a problem. Meanwhile, his wife (Swinton) is debating whether to leave him for her lover, a paranoid Marshal (Clooney). Falling into depression, Cox decides to occupy his time by writing his memoirs, a memoir that soon lands in the hands of two inept gym employees. Linda Litzke (McDormand) obsesses over the damage age has done to her body and formulates a plan with her gung-ho, hyperactive coworker Chad (Pitt) in a plan to return the memoir, which they've mistaken for confidential documents and a threat to national security, for a reward. When their plan falls apart, Linda decides that drastic times call for drastic measures and she'll get the money for her plastic surgery one way or another. And so begins an espionage adventure where no one involved knows exactly what is going on.
I love how clueless the characters in this movie are. I wasn't originally so keen on this movie and it took a few viewings to really get into my head. The marketing had painted this movies as a bit goofier and it wasn't what I expected to find when I sat down to watch it. Plus, I was put off by the movie's abrupt ending (the details of which I'll spare here in case someone who reads this hasn't seen it). I remember thinking, "This is it? That's all there is?" Now that I've seen it a few times, I really like it. It's a great ending for this particular movie. The Coens are fantastic writers and this movie is a prime example. It's sharp, funny, and tense. The characters are perfectly bizarre and the casting is perfect. The movies features a top of the line cast: John Malkovich, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, etc. These people are over the top and just a little insane. Linda and Chad actually believe they are trapped in a spy movie scenario and react as anyone would, with only TV and movies as a source of knowledge. Shady meetings, breaking into Cox's home, and even Russiansthe two incompetent gym employees are in way over their head. Or not at all. I guess it depends on whose perspective. BURN AFTER READING is a subtler, darker comedy and might not appeal to people who usually prefer their laughs in the form of a Kevin James or Adam Sandler film.