|
|
|
Burn After Reading
(2008)
If you haven't seen it in a while go re-watch Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? It'll get you in a light mood and ready to watch the Coen's latest venture, Burn After Reading. Now, Oh Brother is perhaps a more intelligent and clever screenplay, but this film is just as enjoyable because it has no intentions beyond making you laugh. And sometimes, that's all we really want to do.
The film follows four main characters, who all end up suspicious of each other by the end, for one reason or the other. The confusion adds to the theme of the movie: idiocy. Two gym employees, an airheaded personal trainer, Chad (Brad Pitt), and Linda (Frances McDormand), a woman after a new image (and extensive plastic surgery), find a CD with the memoirs of a recently fired CIA agent, Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich). The other focus character is Harry (George Clooney), a ladies man who has been sleeping with Osbourne's stuck up wife, Katie (played effortlessly by Tilda Swinton). From here the plot gets Coen-ish, so you'll have to see it for yourself. But the characters drive the plot, and well, stupid is as stupid does.
This film really is an ensemble piece and each character is memorable in their own right. They are obviously having a fantastic time with their characters and dialogue, and it makes it pleasurable to watch their antics.
John Malkovich as Osbourne Cox is great. His irrational anger and frustration with everything makes for a really entertaining character, especially when he interacts with people he feels are below him (when in fact he gets pulled into the paranoid stupidity just as much as they do). His dialogues with Brad Pitt's Chad are particularly memorable and so is his pronunciation of "memoirs". His characterization is nearly perfect.
No doubt Brad Pitt will be everyone's favorite, mostly because of his childlike curiosity and poor attempts at blackmail. He also seems like a fairly clueless guy, so the audience can appreciate the silliness of the plot a little more through Pitt's character. He is the constant reminder that we shouldn't take the movie too seriously. I think this particularly important because there are scenes of graphic violence, and the lightness of the characters helps to balance that out.
The Coens' princess (and wife), Frances McDormand, is fully absorbed in her character, Linda Litzke. She is fairly clueless as well, but her subplot of trying to fight aging, start anew with a new love is very relatable. She helps audiences step into the film a little more, by being the one character any normal person might be able to sympathize with. Her perkiness and eagerness to make do is likable and McDormand brings the right amount of absurdity to the role, without pushing Linda too far over the edge, like Brad Pitt's character.
George Clooney has always been good in ensemble casting, and his comedic timing and edge really shines. His turn as a paranoid sex-obsessed ladies man is really fun to watch. His goofy facial expressions and role within the plot just adds another layer to the fairly satisfying Coen concoction.
Of course all the supporting cast, including a very tragic Richard Jenkins, really makes the film what it is: a fantastic alignment of acting and script. There are no egos here, only silliness. The actors leave their dignity in their trailers for this one.
Overall, I really enjoyed the film. I do have to say, like any Coen Brothers film, it isn't going to be for everyone. There is graphic violence, and a lot of cursing (via Malkovich). I think I would say it's a black comedy, but it's not too dark, certainly not nearly as dark as Fargo, but not as light hearted as Oh Brother. See this movie with a group of well humored friends, and you'll have a blast. I promise. If anything, the film tells us that no matter our station in life, sometimes we're all equally clueless.
-Conor Aylsworth
|
|
|
|
All contents ©
2004-2009 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
|
|
 |
Director:
Joel & Ethan Coen
Writer: Joel & Ethan Coen
Starring: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton
Distributor: Focus Features
Runtime: 96
min
Rating: R
Release Date: December 12, 2008
|
|
 |
|
