WOW! That was quick! It was just a year ago that the directing duo of the Coen brothers gave us the best movie of 2007, “No Country For Old Men.” A lot of other directors usually take years between projects, hoping to distance themselves from the undying praise that threatens to engulf their careers and have them forever be judged to their previous achievement. But the Coen brothers didn’t bother to wait that long to release their newest film, “Burn After Reading.” It follows the tradition of the Coen Brothers of making a movie that is the polar opposite of the movie they did before it. Every review has mentioned of how these guys went from making “Fargo” to giving us “The Big Lebowski,” and how they went from “The Man Who Wasn’t There” to “Intolerable Cruelty.” With the Coens, it is always important to expect the unexpected; because that is one of the many reasons why they have had the longevity they have in this business.
I’m not going to bother comparing their newest film to “No Country For Old Men” because the only thing these two movies have in common is that they were made by the same people. It’s like comparing the Marx Brothers’ “Duck Soup” to Lars Von Trier’s “Breaking The Waves,” and that threatens to say more about the critic than it does about the movies themselves. This particular film is one of the more lightweight efforts you could ever expect from Joel and Ethan, and it is a reminder of how dark their comedy can get.
“Burn After Reading” is a crazy movie to say the least, and it does not really have so much a plot as it does a plethora of characters that are unleashed on us through an a selfish act of utter stupidity. As a result, there is no rug of any kind that can tie the room together. The main drive of the action comes from Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) who discovers a disk at the gym he works at as a personal trainer which contains classified information from a former CIA operative, Osborne Cox (John Malkovich). Along with his fellow co-worker, Linda Litzke (the always on her game Frances McDormand), they both connive to act as “good Samaritans” and give the disk back to Osborne, providing that he pays them several thousands of dollars as a reward of sorts. Naturally, this plan (which was not given much thought to begin with) goes awry and involves many others in this scheme that are never entirely sure of what they have gotten themselves into, or of who they can trust.
Let’s look at the characters, shall we? Chad is a personal trainer at the Hardbodies gym who is (to put it mildly) rather dense and not playing with a full deck. His manager, Ted Treffon (Richard Jenkins from “The Visitor” and “North Country) doesn’t want to get involved in this blackmail plan, but he simultaneously has a huge unrequited crush on Linda, and she is upset because her insurance won’t cover the various forms of plastic surgery she wants to get so that she can reinvent herself. In the meantime, she is going through the motions of internet dating and ends up meeting Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney). Harry is actually married and is in the midst of an affair with Osborne’s wife, Katie (“Michael Clayton” Oscar winner Tilda Swinton), and she herself is planning to divorce her husband who is now in the midst of writing his memoirs. In the midst of all this, a CIA officer (David Rasche) reports to his superior (the priceless J.K. Simmons) of the goings on, and of the ways they are going to keep this all under wraps.
With me so far? Clearly, this is a movie that will benefit from more than one viewing to keep up with everything. Like I said, there is no real plot to speak of, other than the blackmail of Osborne Cox. While in some movies this would be a huge Achilles heel, it works for the Coens in that it allows you to keep guessing as to what will happen next. Just when you think you know where the movie is going, it has another surprise up its sleeve. There were moments that were both funny and shocking, and I was eager to see what would happen next. This is really Joel and Ethan’s satirical at all those secret spy/espionage books and movies that still remain almost as popular as when they first started.
Granted, not everything in the movie works. There seems to be some sort of comedy virus going around this past summer which certainly hasn’t decimated any of the ones I have seen, but they have all come across as hit and miss. But once again, the stuff that does work kept me thoroughly entertained throughout. The movie combines a lot of actors that the brothers Coen have worked with over the years like George Clooney and Frances McDormand, with newcomers to their strange universe like John Malkovich and Brad Pitt. It’s a kick to see all these actors let their hair down in a movie that is never to be taken seriously by either them or the audience.
The most inspired performance in this movie has to be Brad Pitt’s. Clean shaven, thin, buff, and an avid bicycle rider, his character is a hilarious creation of a physically fit moron who has no clear idea of just how in over his head he is. It is Brad’s funniest performance since his ultimate stoner of a character Floyd in “True Romance.” The Brad Pitt that we have come to see in the media recently is not at all on display in this movie. It’s like Brad has somehow regressed from his rugged self back to his post “Thelma & Louise” movies.
Another actor who is a huge kick to watch here is George Clooney as he blows away just every bit of coolness in his system to play an increasingly neurotic philanderer who always seems to be on the verge of anaphylactic shock as he keeps warning everyone he hangs out with about his life threatening allergies. Just a year ago, George gave us one of his very best performances in “Michael Clayton,” and to see him let loose here is a reminder of how he constantly tries in his real life to not take himself too seriously. It also makes you wonder if he and Tilda Swinton will ever be in a movie together where they play characters that actually have a healthy relationship with each other.
It’s actually kind of hard to see that this is the first time that John Malkovich has ever worked with the Coen brothers. Malkovich lets it all out here as CIA operative who quits his job after he is demoted in part because of his “drinking problem.” To see John got nuts over the complete idiots he has to deal with is such a hoot. Not many actors can play a character that is quick to absorb the situation they are in, yet are still in the dark when it comes to the truth of the matter. Malkovich may prefer the stage to the big screen as an artist, but it is always great to see him do his thing in a movie like this. It may be his most inspired performance since he played himself in “Being John Malkovich.”
The rest of the cast brings their A game to movie as well. Frances McDormand, in her first movie with Joel and Ethan since her Oscar winning turn in “Fargo,” is one of the movie’s more lovable characters (in a manner of speaking) as a woman who wants to be free of the ravages of getting older that she plans to go to unhealthy extremes to get them. Give Frances the smallest role in a movie, and she kicks ass every time. The fact that it took so long for her husband and brother-in-law to get her back into one of their movies almost feels like a crime.
Richard Jenkins seems to be having a great year right now with “The Visitor” and this. He gives us perhaps the saddest character we hope we don’t have to be throughout our whole lives. You know, that one person who is forever punished eternally with the pangs of unrequited love. Throughout the movie, Richard shows you in his eyes of how much he wants to be with Frances. Jenkins seems to be getting his due as a character actor which is great, and he never seems to fail in any role he plays.
And I loved the scenes between David Rasche and J.K. Simmons in the offices of the CIA and how flippant they seemed about the situations in this movie. I have yet to see another movie where you have CIA members seem rather laid back in the decisions they make. It never comes down to what is best for their country to these two guys, but of how to make this not get too overwhelming and hectic. Their inconvenience is the biggest problem because it involves secrets getting out, and of more responsibility and paperwork. Who needs that?
“Burn After Reading” is a comedy classic like “The Big Lebowski” or “Raising Arizona,” and it probably won’t have the staying power of those films either. But it sure is a lot of fun and filled with a lot more daring and originality than some movies that I have seen recently (namely “Righteous Kill”). Many have described it as a “trifle” from the Coens, and that doesn’t seem far from the truth. All the same, you have to admire the insane amount of character interaction that this movie accomplishes. Just when everything is about to fall apart for everybody, it does, just not completely.
***1/2 out of ****
I’m not going to bother comparing their newest film to “No Country For Old Men” because the only thing these two movies have in common is that they were made by the same people. It’s like comparing the Marx Brothers’ “Duck Soup” to Lars Von Trier’s “Breaking The Waves,” and that threatens to say more about the critic than it does about the movies themselves. This particular film is one of the more lightweight efforts you could ever expect from Joel and Ethan, and it is a reminder of how dark their comedy can get.
“Burn After Reading” is a crazy movie to say the least, and it does not really have so much a plot as it does a plethora of characters that are unleashed on us through an a selfish act of utter stupidity. As a result, there is no rug of any kind that can tie the room together. The main drive of the action comes from Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) who discovers a disk at the gym he works at as a personal trainer which contains classified information from a former CIA operative, Osborne Cox (John Malkovich). Along with his fellow co-worker, Linda Litzke (the always on her game Frances McDormand), they both connive to act as “good Samaritans” and give the disk back to Osborne, providing that he pays them several thousands of dollars as a reward of sorts. Naturally, this plan (which was not given much thought to begin with) goes awry and involves many others in this scheme that are never entirely sure of what they have gotten themselves into, or of who they can trust.
Let’s look at the characters, shall we? Chad is a personal trainer at the Hardbodies gym who is (to put it mildly) rather dense and not playing with a full deck. His manager, Ted Treffon (Richard Jenkins from “The Visitor” and “North Country) doesn’t want to get involved in this blackmail plan, but he simultaneously has a huge unrequited crush on Linda, and she is upset because her insurance won’t cover the various forms of plastic surgery she wants to get so that she can reinvent herself. In the meantime, she is going through the motions of internet dating and ends up meeting Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney). Harry is actually married and is in the midst of an affair with Osborne’s wife, Katie (“Michael Clayton” Oscar winner Tilda Swinton), and she herself is planning to divorce her husband who is now in the midst of writing his memoirs. In the midst of all this, a CIA officer (David Rasche) reports to his superior (the priceless J.K. Simmons) of the goings on, and of the ways they are going to keep this all under wraps.
With me so far? Clearly, this is a movie that will benefit from more than one viewing to keep up with everything. Like I said, there is no real plot to speak of, other than the blackmail of Osborne Cox. While in some movies this would be a huge Achilles heel, it works for the Coens in that it allows you to keep guessing as to what will happen next. Just when you think you know where the movie is going, it has another surprise up its sleeve. There were moments that were both funny and shocking, and I was eager to see what would happen next. This is really Joel and Ethan’s satirical at all those secret spy/espionage books and movies that still remain almost as popular as when they first started.
Granted, not everything in the movie works. There seems to be some sort of comedy virus going around this past summer which certainly hasn’t decimated any of the ones I have seen, but they have all come across as hit and miss. But once again, the stuff that does work kept me thoroughly entertained throughout. The movie combines a lot of actors that the brothers Coen have worked with over the years like George Clooney and Frances McDormand, with newcomers to their strange universe like John Malkovich and Brad Pitt. It’s a kick to see all these actors let their hair down in a movie that is never to be taken seriously by either them or the audience.
The most inspired performance in this movie has to be Brad Pitt’s. Clean shaven, thin, buff, and an avid bicycle rider, his character is a hilarious creation of a physically fit moron who has no clear idea of just how in over his head he is. It is Brad’s funniest performance since his ultimate stoner of a character Floyd in “True Romance.” The Brad Pitt that we have come to see in the media recently is not at all on display in this movie. It’s like Brad has somehow regressed from his rugged self back to his post “Thelma & Louise” movies.
Another actor who is a huge kick to watch here is George Clooney as he blows away just every bit of coolness in his system to play an increasingly neurotic philanderer who always seems to be on the verge of anaphylactic shock as he keeps warning everyone he hangs out with about his life threatening allergies. Just a year ago, George gave us one of his very best performances in “Michael Clayton,” and to see him let loose here is a reminder of how he constantly tries in his real life to not take himself too seriously. It also makes you wonder if he and Tilda Swinton will ever be in a movie together where they play characters that actually have a healthy relationship with each other.
It’s actually kind of hard to see that this is the first time that John Malkovich has ever worked with the Coen brothers. Malkovich lets it all out here as CIA operative who quits his job after he is demoted in part because of his “drinking problem.” To see John got nuts over the complete idiots he has to deal with is such a hoot. Not many actors can play a character that is quick to absorb the situation they are in, yet are still in the dark when it comes to the truth of the matter. Malkovich may prefer the stage to the big screen as an artist, but it is always great to see him do his thing in a movie like this. It may be his most inspired performance since he played himself in “Being John Malkovich.”
The rest of the cast brings their A game to movie as well. Frances McDormand, in her first movie with Joel and Ethan since her Oscar winning turn in “Fargo,” is one of the movie’s more lovable characters (in a manner of speaking) as a woman who wants to be free of the ravages of getting older that she plans to go to unhealthy extremes to get them. Give Frances the smallest role in a movie, and she kicks ass every time. The fact that it took so long for her husband and brother-in-law to get her back into one of their movies almost feels like a crime.
Richard Jenkins seems to be having a great year right now with “The Visitor” and this. He gives us perhaps the saddest character we hope we don’t have to be throughout our whole lives. You know, that one person who is forever punished eternally with the pangs of unrequited love. Throughout the movie, Richard shows you in his eyes of how much he wants to be with Frances. Jenkins seems to be getting his due as a character actor which is great, and he never seems to fail in any role he plays.
And I loved the scenes between David Rasche and J.K. Simmons in the offices of the CIA and how flippant they seemed about the situations in this movie. I have yet to see another movie where you have CIA members seem rather laid back in the decisions they make. It never comes down to what is best for their country to these two guys, but of how to make this not get too overwhelming and hectic. Their inconvenience is the biggest problem because it involves secrets getting out, and of more responsibility and paperwork. Who needs that?
“Burn After Reading” is a comedy classic like “The Big Lebowski” or “Raising Arizona,” and it probably won’t have the staying power of those films either. But it sure is a lot of fun and filled with a lot more daring and originality than some movies that I have seen recently (namely “Righteous Kill”). Many have described it as a “trifle” from the Coens, and that doesn’t seem far from the truth. All the same, you have to admire the insane amount of character interaction that this movie accomplishes. Just when everything is about to fall apart for everybody, it does, just not completely.
***1/2 out of ****
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