S..t Happens

Rating: Null/10 (6 August 2016)

The Cohen Brothers tend to appeal mainly to folk who 'think' themselves smarter than most other viewers or to those who seek-out movies they think are somehow 'different'. Perhaps they're only fooling themselves (I know, I used to be one of the deluded). These ultra cynical movie makers make films for themselves - showing their contempt for just about everything - including their audiences. Also seems maybe some audiences are often not smart enough to recognize most of their work is a recycling of what they've done before IE; settings, names, places, comedy, drama, are switched to camouflage the obvious. As the budgets get fatter the content gets thinner.
For the most part I enjoyed the quirky warmth of "The Hudsucker Proxy" but the majority of other Cohen efforts were simply callous, soulless, sensation seekers. "Burn After Reading" is simply 'trendy' empty-headedness dressed up as satire. Cheap writing by people with more money than integrity. Lazy, crude language masquerading as humour. Good performers being reduced to accepting inferior farce and cardboard cut-out characters just because it's a 'Cohen picture'. Honest reviews by Variety, The New Yorker, Time, etc, and a closer look at many of the comments posted by ex die-hard fans on IMDb - seem to be saying maybe the party's over and many of us over them!. The industries 'promo-awards' divisions might miss them but, maybe it's time to move on chaps while you still have an audience of any note...Could be the title referred to the script.