Burn After Reading

Reviewed by:
Eric Alt

Directed by: Joel and Ethan Coen

The Skinny: Having gone down a dark road with No Country For Old Men, the Coens return to Lebowski-style silliness with this story about a beleaguered ex-CIA analyst (John Malkovich), his wife (Tilda Swinton), a pair of idiot personal trainers (Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand), and a sex-obsessed federal marshall (George Clooney) all of whom get caught up in a series of hilarious misunderstandings.

The Good: It's one thing to pull together really good actors for a "serious" film, but we have to applaud the Coens for getting great actors for a completely stupid, goofy movie—and we mean that in the best way possible. It's hard to pick a standout, but Pitt is pretty laugh-out-loud hilarious in every scene. And the movie has some tricks up its sleeve despite its total commitment to idiocy (we won't spoil it, but there's a nasty surprise about midway through that we didn't see coming).

The Bad: It's a little odd that most of the story's resolution happens off-screen and we're only told about it, but the explanation itself is entertaining so we'll let it slide. Overall, this is a fast (a breezy 96 minutes) and funny movie. Who says early September is the cinematic dead zone?

Just Kause?: Can J.K. Simmons please be in every movie from now on? The guy has exactly two scenes in Reading, and kills.

Theater, DVD, or TNT in Five Years? Make this one a priority. DeNiro and Pacino will understand.