Burn After Reading (2008)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Directors:

Ethan Coen
Joel Coen

Writers (WGA):

Joel Coen (written by) &
Ethan Coen (written by)

Release Date:

12 September 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Intelligence is relative.

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.

Plot Keywords:

Gym | Memoir | CIA | Divorce | CIA Agent

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 9 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. July 7	8:00 PM	HBO
Mon. July 13	1:00 AM	HBO
Thur. July 16	3:35 AM	HBO

Cast

George Clooney	...	Harry Pfarrer
Frances McDormand	...	Linda Litzke
Brad Pitt	...	Chad Feldheimer
John Malkovich	...	Osbourne Cox
Tilda Swinton	...	Katie Cox
Richard Jenkins	...	Ted Treffon
Elizabeth Marvel	...	Sandy Pfarrer
David Rasche	...	CIA Officer
J.K. Simmons	...	CIA Superior
Olek Krupa	...	Krapotkin
Michael Countryman	...	Alan
Kevin Sussman	...	Tuchman Marsh Man
J.R. Horne	...	Divorce Lawyer
Hamilton Clancy	...	Peck
Armand Schultz	...	Olson

Also Known As:

Burn After Reading (France)

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

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)

Filming Locations:

Bronx Community College - University Avenue at West 181 Street, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Mike Zoss Productions

Trivia:

The Coen Brothers wrote the character Osborne Cox with John Malkovich in mind. Brad Pitt's character was also written with the actor in mind, inspired by a commercial for which he suffered a similar haircut and dye job. Indeed, the Coen Brothers noted at a Q&A session at the Venice Film Festival that all the leading characters were written for all the leading actors, with the exception of Tilda Swinton.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Katie reports that it's 5.2 miles on the odometer from the Cox residence on Olive St. NW to West Potomac Park just off the Lincoln Memorial. It's actually no more than about two miles.

Quotes:

Harry Pfarrer: Maybe I can get a run in.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "De wereld draait door: (#4.10)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Funny Farm

Tonight We Laugh

Norman Cousins would have loved the Coen Brothers' "Burn After Reading." The late great Saturday Review editor had treated his illness with Marx Brothers movies, having "made the joyous discovery that 10 minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep."

I have never felt healthier than after 96 minutes of explosive and grateful laughter at the "Burn" screening, also marveling at the array of British-stage caliber acting from "Fargo"-invoking Frances McDormand, witchy-icy Tilda Swinton, a more-manic-than-ever John Malkovich, and a dozen major players, such as J.K. Simmons as the deadpan CIA boss and Richard Jenkins as the former Greek Orthodox priest, now running an upscale gym.

Others may lead the cast list with George Clooney and Brad Pitt, but to me, their performances were just a bit on the self-conscious side, trying too hard. At any rate, it's a great cast, and while the plot might have turned into a dud in somebody else's treatment, the Coen Brothers' writing is hilarious, their zingers deadly.

A critic, probably with bad digestion, has decried this "very black comedy set in a blanched, austere-looking Washington, D.C. — an uninspiring and uncomfortable place in which everyone betrays everyone else, and the emotional tone veers from icy politeness to spitting rage and back again." If I had a chance to think, instead of enjoying "Burn," I would have contemplated Molière and Evelyn Waugh, their comedies of manners, psychological insight, and unbridled great humor.

Yes, there are betrayals (none better than the totally unexpected one at the end of the film), and there is rage, but all contained within a glorious bubble of writing-directing-acting excellence. "Burn" grips and holds, surprises and entertains, it is a virtuoso piece.

Don't be misled by the a "action-trailer" on TV, saturating the airwaves; it says nothing of the film. Malkovich punching Pitt over a compromising CD of spook stuff is not at the heart of this - the McDormand character's pursuit of cosmetic surgery is, what with her self-examination, a lengthy session with the surgeon (Jeffrey DeMunn, in a brilliant turn), her desperate quest for a way to pay for it. Funny and going deep at the same time, "Burn" presents a series of character studies (hence the thought of Molière), in the context of mannered yet true social interactions (Waugh).

Skip descriptions of the plot, reject self-righteous denunciations of smart skepticism and charming evil, go and wallow in life-affirming laughter.