Burn After Reading - Review
Burn After Reading is the follow up to the Oscar winning "No Country for Old Men" by the Oscar winning writer-directors ,Coen Brothers, starring Oscar winners-George Clooney, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton and Oscar nominated actors- Brad Pitt and John Malkovich. With so many Oscar talents lying around one would expect another Oscar winner in the making, instead we get a darkly humorous crime thriller(if we can call it that) that doesn't take itself seriously.
The movie begins with a satellite image of the USA and zooms in to Washington D.C and to CIA Headquarters, Langley. We are presented with an ever scowling John Malkovich who is laid off from his job as a CIA analyst. Tilda Swinton plays his wife, who is oozing cold contempt enough to start a new Ice Age. Soon George Clooney, a guy who works in a treasury, appears as a friend to Tilda and her secret lover. Francis McDormand plays a woman who is in her middle age and still single, thus depressed. We are introduced to her Fat ass, tummy and other parts as a cosmetic surgeon examines her for a full body rejuvenation. Soon the bouncy, lovable Brad Pitt appears as a fitness trainer and best buddy of McDormand.
The real story starts when a worker at the Gym discovers a CD which contains (as Brad Pitt describes) "Secret shit". What follows is a story in which the plots intertwine dizzily in a goofy but enjoyable way. The writer-directors, Coen Brothers, gleefully kills off half of their star studded cast by the time the movie ends. Does the dark humor work?.. Does the Coen Brothers pull off yet another masterpiece?. The answer would be debatable. For me it was nothing close to a masterpiece. The dark humor did work for me at times and i can't sy i was bored all through the 95 minutes.
The movie is, at best, average. We don't feel any sympathy to any of the characters except for Brad Pitt and Richard Jenkins(who plays the owner of the Gym, and loves McDormand which is clear to everybody but her).George Clooney also evokes an inkling of a sympathy when he discovers some truths about his wife. But dark comedy is laced all through those scenes and we wont have much time to sympathize with anyone. The movie doesn't harm the Coen Brothers' position as the darlings of both Hollywood A-List and the Festival Circuit. The movie doesn't improve that too. This can be considered as a movie in which all the Oscar actor had fun, goofed around, and died merrily. The audience can also have some fun, but nothing worth remembering.
Download it here if you want.
The movie begins with a satellite image of the USA and zooms in to Washington D.C and to CIA Headquarters, Langley. We are presented with an ever scowling John Malkovich who is laid off from his job as a CIA analyst. Tilda Swinton plays his wife, who is oozing cold contempt enough to start a new Ice Age. Soon George Clooney, a guy who works in a treasury, appears as a friend to Tilda and her secret lover. Francis McDormand plays a woman who is in her middle age and still single, thus depressed. We are introduced to her Fat ass, tummy and other parts as a cosmetic surgeon examines her for a full body rejuvenation. Soon the bouncy, lovable Brad Pitt appears as a fitness trainer and best buddy of McDormand.
The real story starts when a worker at the Gym discovers a CD which contains (as Brad Pitt describes) "Secret shit". What follows is a story in which the plots intertwine dizzily in a goofy but enjoyable way. The writer-directors, Coen Brothers, gleefully kills off half of their star studded cast by the time the movie ends. Does the dark humor work?.. Does the Coen Brothers pull off yet another masterpiece?. The answer would be debatable. For me it was nothing close to a masterpiece. The dark humor did work for me at times and i can't sy i was bored all through the 95 minutes.
The movie is, at best, average. We don't feel any sympathy to any of the characters except for Brad Pitt and Richard Jenkins(who plays the owner of the Gym, and loves McDormand which is clear to everybody but her).George Clooney also evokes an inkling of a sympathy when he discovers some truths about his wife. But dark comedy is laced all through those scenes and we wont have much time to sympathize with anyone. The movie doesn't harm the Coen Brothers' position as the darlings of both Hollywood A-List and the Festival Circuit. The movie doesn't improve that too. This can be considered as a movie in which all the Oscar actor had fun, goofed around, and died merrily. The audience can also have some fun, but nothing worth remembering.
My Verdict- With so many Oscar talents lying around one would expect another Oscar winner in the making, instead we get a darkly humorous crime thriller(if we can call it that) that doesn't take itself seriously. The movie is, at best, average. The movie doesn't harm the Coen Brothers' position as the darlings of both Hollywood A-List and the Festival Circuit. The movie doesn't improve that too. The audience can also have some fun, but nothing worth remembering.My Rating- 2.5/5
Download it here if you want.
