Plot: CIA analyst Osborne Cox quits his job after being reassigned due to a drinking problem. He takes this opportunity to write his memoirs. His cheating wife decides to file for divorce and accidently copies the memoirs while trying to make copies of the family financial records. This CD falls into the hands of gym employees Chad and Linda who want to use what they think is “secret CIA shit” to blackmail Osborne.The Ups: I’ll start by saying that the cast is amazing! I couldn’t give you one bad performance if I tried; even the characters with only a few lines nailed it. Brad Pitt and George Clooney cement themselves in my mind as two of the last true movie stars. Pitt is hilarious and really shows his range when you compare this to some of his other work. Look at Se7en, Troy and then this and you see three completely different yet all believable sides to his work. Clooney is great and although he’s doing the same schtick he’s done in other movies it just works, he’s that likeable of a guy. Frances McDormand is quirky, cute, and at the same time a bit scary in her dedication to what she wants. John Malkovich is always amazing but he really goes above and beyond in this one a bit and really left me wishing he had more screen time. The story is very complex yet easy to follow and the writing is amazing. Joel and Ethan Coen really amazed me with their mastery of black comedy even more so than they did with Fargo.
The Downs: I can honestly say that I have nothing to put here. That’s not to say it was a perfect movie. I’m sure I could say something about the score maybe, or the cinematography or some other technical aspect…but I really don’t think any of us care about that. I don’t know about you but I just like to be entertained and in that department there is no downside to this movie.
The Final Word: Although there is a completely different feel here than in their last outing, No Country for Old Men, I would not be surprised to see more Oscar talk in the Coen brother’s future for this one. Even if you weren’t planning on going to the movies this weekend carve out some time to see this. In today’s world we all need a good laugh and Burn After Reading provides great laughs with and a good story.
9.5/10
