IMDb > Burn After Reading (2008)
Burn After Reading
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Burn After Reading (2008) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 114 | slideshow) Videos (see all 32 NEW)
Burn After Reading (2008) -- Burn After Reading - Theatrical Trailer
Burn After Reading (2008) -- Clip: The perils of goat cheese
Burn After Reading (2008) -- Tilda Swinton in Burn After Reading
Burn After Reading (2008) -- Interview: Frances McDormand "On Brad Pitt's performance"
Burn After Reading (2008) -- A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it.

Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   77,094 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Directors:
Ethan Coen
Joel Coen
Writers (WGA):
Joel Coen (written by) &
Ethan Coen (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Burn After Reading on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 September 2008 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Crime | Drama more
Tagline:
Intelligence is relative. more
Plot:
A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 9 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(578 articles)
Tilda Swinton's teenage misery
 (From Monsters and Critics. 7 November 2009, 5:01 AM, PST)

The Men Who Stare At Goats Review
 (From FilmJunk. 5 November 2009, 11:14 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Another Hit from the genius of the Coens. more (444 total)
US TV Schedule:
Sun. Nov. 159:30 AMMAX   

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Burn After Reading (France)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence.
Runtime:
96 min
Country:
USA | UK | France
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS
Certification:
USA:R (certificate #44448) | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-13 | Australia:MA | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Singapore:NC-16 (video rating) (heavily cut) | UK:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Germany:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Brazil:14 | Argentina:16 | Netherlands:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Japan:PG-12 | Czech Republic:15 | Peru:14 | France:U | South Korea:18 | Iceland:14 (video rating) | Iceland:16 (original rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
George Clooney has stated he learns a lot from the Coen brothers for his career as a director and tries to have things running the same way they do on his films, even hiring their storyboard artist, J. Todd Anderson, on two of them. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Chad Feldheimer enters Coxes house the basement door is different between the outside view (door and side window) and inside view (no side window). more
Quotes:
[repeated line]
Harry Pfarrer: Well, hello!
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "De wereld draait door: (#4.42)" (2008) more
Soundtrack:
Getting Hard more

FAQ

Were Osborne Cox's memoirs on the disc?
Is "Burn After Reading" based on a book?
What are the songs from the trailer?
more
206 out of 377 people found the following comment useful.
Another Hit from the genius of the Coens., 4 September 2008
9/10
Author: swlabr413 from United States

There's a point in this movie that George Clooney's character, Harry Pfarrer shows Frances McDormand's character Linda Litzke something that we've seen him working on for about half the movie. It was so surprising when I first saw it, that at first, I didn't even know what it was.

Once again, the Coens have created wonderful characters, including Clooney, who is a womanizer and paranoid that people are following him, and McDormand, who just wants plastic surgery in order to look better. Also, there's John Malkovich as Osbourne Cox, who "doesn't have a drinking problem," and maybe the best in the movie, Brad Pitt as Chad, a clueless gym employee who is pushed along by McDormand.

The only character that isn't up to par with the rest is Tilda Swinton's character of Katie Cox, Osbourne's wife. She doesn't get as many laughs as the rest, and it seems like the Coens just needed her as a plot device rather than an actual character. However, she may not be funny, but she does play the character well.

The writing is brilliant and the Coens weave the story in such a way that it reminds me of their previous movie, The Big Lebowski. In the end, as J.K. Simmons character sums it up himself, nothing really happens, but while watching it all unfold, you can't help but laugh at the absurdity.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (444 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Burn After Reading (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Coen Brothers Bad Endings... neckbonej
Osbourne Cox's father on boat Dorf_Dorkman
The only Coen Bros film I have ever liked! linda303
Why the hate? jordan_kaltz
Was Chad gay? scasigfrd1018
Anyone else notice the 'chair' was engineered wrong? CoenHead
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