Silly, But That Seems To Be The Point!

Rating: Null/10 (5 August 2011)

Joel and Ethan Coen won the market on strange, off-centered movies that toss out bits and pieces of nonsense and lets the audience - and the obviously wildly entertained group of actors involved - put it together as best they can. The Coen brothers have made some very fine films: this just isn't one of them.
What little plot there is pops along something like this: Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich), an expert on Balkan affairs, is fired at the CIA: he begins writing a memoir of his past and his responses. His wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) wants a divorce and expects her lover, Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney) - a philandering State Department marshal - to leave his wife Sandy (Elizabeth Marvel). Bouncing along to the next episode, a CD drops out of a gym bag at a Georgetown gym and employees Linda (Frances McDormand), an Internet obsessed date seeker, and Chad (Brad Pitt) attempt to make it big by turning it into cash (Linda wants money for elective surgery, and Chad, a fluffhead goes along). Information on the CD leads them to Osbourne who declines to pay them for the CD so they visit the Russian Embassy as an option. Linda and Chad decide they need more of Osbourne's secrets to enhance their 'valuable CD'. Bounce to another sidebar: Linda's boss Ted (Richard Jenkins) likes her, and Harry's wife leaves for a book tour. The CIA (JK Simmons) is involved and the 'conspiracy' continues to blossom - all so that Linda can have plastic surgery to enhance her status on the Internet dating sites while her partner Chad just plods along in his own oblivious style for the ride. Looking for a meaningful interconnected plot? Good luck!
The film lacks sensitive editing that would make it easier to follow the myriad subplots but then that is part of the Coen style. The dialogue is full of puns - embarrassingly so - and instead of trying to make the film make sense it is better to just sit back and let the silliness of human foibles entertain. That is probably why so many of our top film actors sign on for Coen brothers film - to have fun and poke fun at not only the world we live in but also at us.
Grady Harp