Biggest disappointment of 2008

Rating: 4/10 (11 June 2009)

I confess, I'm disappointed. I think I'm not alone in saying my anticipation of the movie was great - the Coens are normally reliably interesting, I loved their previous Oscar-winning affair, and there are few actors more watchable than Clooney, particularly alongside the ensemble gathered here. And each performance is engaging - Pitt wonderfully reinvents himself here and Malkovich is superbly unbalanced. The odd set piece and running gag is a hoot.
But this is a really disjointed and lazy affair. It has the feel of a movie that had no forethought whatever, like the Coens got up in the morning, had a shower and a cup of coffee, called up a few of their mates to join them on set, and asked the actors to brainstorm what they were going to do that day. Just for laughs. And maybe that really is what they did. Like a cleverly conceived twisty plot? So do I! Sadly, there ain't one here - it's disguised as something interesting and quirky that is really just plain unfathomable, arbitrary, pointless.
And where's the writing? The script relies heavily on F***s and S***ts - on their own, perfectly fine descriptive words, particularly in an emergency or in a moment of heightened passion. Both words have enhanced numerous movies I can think of. Some movies would be much the worse without them. But overused in what should be a highly intelligent movie script time and again because more imaginative writing appears to have gone out of the window... well, it's just lazy and dull really.
If, like me, you have a few questions as the credits roll - mainly, was it entirely necessary to give Brad Pitt such a wastefully indulgent early exit halfway through the movie? - don't worry, by the time you get to the bar to order your pint, you'll have moved on. It's that kind of movie in the end. Kind of engaging for an outing at the cinema, but way too slight to be memorable for long.