Burn After Reading

Ay Cee

Caught this last week in New York. Great film, very enjoyable.
The trailer over here is a little misleading though. It makes it out to be a big slapstick comedy. This is certainly the case when Brad Pitt comes into it. He's hilarious in it!

Well worth checking out!

paddyblue

I'm a big Coen Bro's fan...even their poor films are good. Reports tell me this is somewhere in the middle, not great but far from their worst.

So I can't wait too see this....i heard that Pitt & Malcovich are excellent.

MooseJam

paddyblue wrote: »

not great

just back from seeing this , that about sums it up

Running Bing

Just got back from this and I thought it was great.


Im a huge Coen fan and while this was not as good as some of their best stuff like Big Lebowski and Fargo it really is a cut above stuff like Intolerable cruelty and the Ladykillers.


I thought it was interesting, exciting, entertaining and a lot more subtle than I was expecting and yes Brad Pitt is very very funny,

I loved they way they played with genre with the different characters so it felt when watching Pitt you were watching a slapstick comedy and then with Clooney it was more like a conspiracy thriller and Malkovich and Swinton was like watching a drama about a dysfunctional marriage.

I also though some of the more subtle touches were nice and very well done like the relationship between Pitt and McDormand and the the gym manager secretly loving Francis McDormands character and her desperate search for a man.

Oh and you have to love

the way Bradd Pitt was killed off:D

Interestingly out of all the Coen brothers films I have seen on first viewing this is probably the one I have been most positive about. I feel their films always get infinitely better with multiple viewings so it will be interesting to see how this one stands up to repeat viewings.


Loved it though and would definitely recommend it...would be an excellent introduction to the Coens work imo.

grimm2005

I went into this with fairly high expectations. While I was slightly dissapointed I'd still recommend this as its a good enough film and it has its funny parts.

And yes, brad pitt is hilarious in it

gustavo

Thought it was good enough , Quite funny in places , Nothing outstanding , The CIA chief was funny , also what George Clooney was building in the basement , Thought it ended fairly abrubtly , Malkovich was great , reminded me of Victor Meldrew

johnny_ultimate

As a big Coen's fan I must admit I really enjoyed this film. While it may be a bit of a 'lesser' film in their canon, this isn't really a complaint. It is refreshing after the grimness of No Country for Old Men to see them back in comedy, even if their last two comedies were disapointing. But this is a truly funny film. All the central actors give wonderful performances (Brad Pitt in particular creating a truly unusual but instantly likable madman). Clooney, McDormand, Simmonds and Jenkins are all fantastic, although Tilda Swinton has a mildly wasted role. John Malkovich is typically great two, his constant swearing an example of how to swear effectively on screen.

And it takes a little while to get into the tone. For the first act they play it strangely serious, with few jokes to go alongside the epic soundtrack and minor espionage. It takes a while for the film to settle. But then you cop on the whole thing is really ripping the piss and it gets very, very funny. Definitely the best comedy of the year: the gags are inspired with plenty of standout moments (

the hilarious phone call and blackmail attempt, the visit to the Russian embassy and the repeated confusion of the CIA whenever the Russians are mentioned

. And the black humour is trademark Coen:

the axe murder

a gruesome, unusual yet still amusing example

alongside Pitt's unexpected exit

. But yes, this is a very funny satire of the spy genre, and an on the mark look at how however many Cold War thrillers are completely redundant and pointless now.

It is great to see the Brothers having some fun after the comparatively sombre No Country, and that is why it works. It is a dark and random satirical comedy about a couple of idiots with the kind of bizarre humour Joel and Ethan really understand, and for that reason it is definitely their funniest film since the timeless Lebowski. It won't win as many awards as last years offering, but maybe that is why it is so immensely enjoyable.

MisterAnarchy

Thought it was a very poor film.
As a comedy it isnt funny,as a dark satire it isnt funny.
I laughed a handful of times in the whole film.
It plods along with a few half decent scenes mostly involving Malkovich.
Brad Pitt was extremely irritating in it and Cloooney was just doing his usual through the motions charade.
Its just under 90 minutes long which was the only reason I didnt walk out on it.

ryoishin

I did nt like it.

The acting was good but i just did nt find it entertaining.

Maybe it was the staff in the savoy carrying rubbish bags through the theater and laughing with each other loudly.

will1977

Went to see this last night and thought it was extremely funny. Great performance by Pitt

Sprouts

Poor film I must say, Brad Pitt was good I have to say but on the whole Coen films have been terrible, they try to be too clever and forgetting about the audience. Just my opinion.

humanji

Watched it last night and thought it was good. Not great, but not bad. The acting is great, with everyone on form. It was a bit slow to start but then the pace got faster and faster until it suddenly stopped, which seemed a little odd.

It really wasn't what I expected from the trailers

especially when you find out that the memoires are rubbish and Malcovich's character wasn't important in the CIA at all

. And it Brad Pitt wasn't as central a role as he was made out to be. I kept expecting something more to come from hiim

and that idea was shot down fairly quickly

.

I'd give it a 7/10. It's a bit hit and miss, but worth a watch at least.

constitutionus

to be honest just finished watching the trailer and all i could think was "there sledgehammer!!!!!

may check this out because of him alone. can see him fitting nicely into a quirky comedy.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

tba

It was a good movie alright, well paced and written, clever and subtly light, but I didn't enjoy it one bit.

I think it was the casting that let it down.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

constitutionus wrote: »

to be honest just finished watching the trailer and all i could think was "there sledgehammer!!!!!

may check this out because of him alone. can see him fitting nicely into a quirky comedy.

he has about ten lines. I kept watching this terrible, terrible movie in the hope he would appear and be funny. But no. No funny to be found.

Valmont

I though it was bloody hilarious. The Coen's hilarity and an impending sense of disaster along with a fantastic score made it for me. My second favourite film of this year.

the flananator

A good film. The first half is a bit slow with Brad Pitt totally carrying it with his hilarity, but the last 45 minutes really make it.

Savman

I was truly bored watching this. Pitt overacting just wasn't amusing at all, he's better than that. Clooney and Malkovich were good, everything else about this flick was instantly forgettable IMHO.

Kintarō Hattori

Just back from watching it now with the missus so it's fresh in my mind as I'm typing this. Overall we both found it quite poor. It just wasn't that funny or terribly interesting. Brad Pitt was mildly amusing but I suspect only because it was something out of the ordinary. J.K. Simmons was quite funny as the CIA director but that's about it I'm afraid.

SarahJ

this movie was just so, so bad. Not funny, no story, no real point, Frances McDormand was good, but the rest are actors who just. Can't. Be. Funny.

ThOnda

Saw it last night as well. Too light for Coens' drama, too vague for a comedy, Pitt overacting, Clooney's character not developed enough and Malkovich, well, he made the film for himself. And also Frances McDormand. Those two are to be remembered for this film.
It was quite funny, but there was something strange about the film. The pace of it, timing, overacting of almost every single actor. And now I got it - I missed the natural feeling of "normal" people from Fargo. I think this film would be much better with a little more subtle acting. Those big names and big actors overshadowed the story line and the spirit of the whole film.

Oh my, I am out of tea, sorry for such ignorant response. Let's brew my morning dose...

randomchild

Really enjoyed it, some great lines and excellent acting, Clooney imparticular. First 20 minutes was a bit annoying, but when I re-watch it, I'm sure they'll be better.
The trailer really set the tone for it.

Dwn Wth Vwls

I didn't know anything about the film before watching it and I thought it was a bit all over the place. I can appreciate trying to do something different, but in this case I don't think it worked particularly well.

I notice that a lot of the people saying they like it mention the Coen brothers. Perhaps some people watch it with a "what are the directors and these actors I know doing" perspective instead of being immersed in the film in a "what's this story about these people" frame of mind.

Beruthiel

I loved it.

Everytime you think of Brad dancing, how can you not laugh!?

SarahJ

Beruthiel wrote: »

I loved it.

Everytime you think of Brad dancing, how can you not laugh!?

Because it was painfully try hard, it's actually difficult to watch.

calahans

I'm a fan of the Coen's work, so I was expecting good things here, but I was a little disappointed in the end.

There were plenty of good performances, and a few good lines but at the end of the day the script was a bit flabby. It didn't go anywhere, or say much about anything.

6/10

johnny_ultimate

calahans wrote: »

It didn't go anywhere, or say much about anything.

You know I'd often make the same criticism about films, but I think thats why this film works. The plot is ludicrous and idiotic, but so are the characters. It didn't have anything to say, but it is just a comedy about really stupid people caught up in a far-fetched, often non-sensical plot (much like the Big Lebowski). This is a film which has to be looked at as a comedy, and while the first half hour or so struggles to get the tone right, once it settled in I was in stitches. The way the characters reacted to events with such paranoia and faux bravado was endlessly entertaining (and a good case of why people shouldn't try to act like they would in a film).

I just find it a shame that such offbeat and well written comedies are so very rare these days: while another 'Movie' movie will probably be out next week, it'll be a long time before more Coen comedy gold arrives. Watching Fargo again last night, it confirmed they are definitely the directors' to go to when you want a dark and cynical comedy. And some of the few filmmakers who can make movies about idiots seem inventive and intelligent.

MisterAnarchy

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I just find it a shame that such offbeat and well written comedies are so very rare these days: while another 'Movie' movie will probably be out next week

Thats true .Good comedies dont seem to be produced anymore.
We either get drivel like those spoof movies ,toilet humour gross out movies or worse still so called 'comedies' like Juno.
On a side note the two female leads in this film Mc Dormand and Swinton are without doubt two of the ugliest women in the business.Back of a bus.

MooseJam

Brad was funny, but only because it was brad really, if it was just some joe bloggs it wouldn't have been as funny, and I don't think a film should be funny because of the casts previous roles in other films, thats just wrong

calahans

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

You know I'd often make the same criticism about films, but I think thats why this film works. The plot is ludicrous and idiotic, but so are the characters. It didn't have anything to say, but it is just a comedy about really stupid people caught up in a far-fetched, often non-sensical plot (much like the Big Lebowski). This is a film which has to be looked at as a comedy, and while the first half hour or so struggles to get the tone right, once it settled in I was in stitches. The way the characters reacted to events with such paranoia and faux bravado was endlessly entertaining (and a good case of why people shouldn't try to act like they would in a film).

I just find it a shame that such offbeat and well written comedies are so very rare these days: while another 'Movie' movie will probably be out next week, it'll be a long time before more Coen comedy gold arrives. Watching Fargo again last night, it confirmed they are definitely the directors' to go to when you want a dark and cynical comedy. And some of the few filmmakers who can make movies about idiots seem inventive and intelligent.

I agree with some of your points but I think that the two movies you have mentioned were supported by more interesting story-lines and characters that you could sympathise with i.e. the dude or macy's car sales man.

In this film we had no plot as such, and no characters that were really likeable, or indeed had any shred of reality to them. Just zany situations. For me I will have to wait longer for a good Coen comedy.

L31mr0d

I liked it, I'd give it a 7/10 though.

Not the greatest movie I've ever seen but good none the less. For such a large cast I was surprised by its relatively small runtime. It makes it feel like each actor only has a handful of lines in the movie.

Loved the final act also, I thought George Clooney was excellent in his last scene.

megadodge

When I go to a film it's to be entertained. I don't think about the performances, the directing, the lighting, etc. I just get immersed in the story and the more immersed the better the film obviously.

Burn After Reading had me quite fidgety for (aprox.) the first half hour and I wasn't very impressed but then it took off and from there to the finish it just got better and better.

The final scene had me laughing in the car 10 minutes after the film ended. That CIA chief's reaction to the whole situation was worth the admission alone. He was the star of the show as far as I was concerned although Malkovic (who I don't normally like) was excellent and Pitt (who I do normally like) was a bit OTT.

4 1/2 out of 5.

Pigman II

Decent movie. I thought everyone did a good job except Bradley there who was painfully miscast.

MagicMarker

Just finished watching this...

I'm not really a fan of the Coen brothers but i did find this entertaining. The only thing that sucked was it ended as soon as it started to get more interesting.

L31mr0d

Pigman II wrote: »

Decent movie. I thought everyone did a good job except Bradley there who was painfully miscast.

yeah I really did not like Brad in this. I was painfully aware that he was acting throughout. I think he is just too old to be playing someone so young. I just couldn't get into the scenes where he was jumping around or talking like a 20 year old.

X-Calibre

I went expecting very little considering some of the comments here but was actually really surprised. I loved it! I loved the ridiculousness of the plot, and how deep the characters were getting into it. Found myself laughing at random moments just thinking about the concept in general.

And the scenes with the CIA chief were just pure gold, couldnt stop laughing I'd definitely advise people to give this a chance and go without any pre assumptions. As someone above said, enjoy it for what it is.

thermo66

i liked it and i don't always like the Coens movies. The cast was great although i agree Tilda swinton was wasted. Brad was v funny esp the phonecall scene, Mcdormand was watchable as always and Clooney was very good and HOT! i even liked john malcovich who leaves me cold most of the time

Xavi6

Heard a bit about this and caught it on the plane while flying to Ireland the other day. Absolute fucking horse shit. A crap storyline that isn't pounced upon because everyone is too busy oohing and aahing over Clooney and Pitt.

1 out of 10

thermo66

Xavi6 wrote: »

Heard a bit about this and caught it on the plane while flying to Ireland the other day. Absolute fucking horse shit. A crap storyline that isn't pounced upon because everyone is too busy oohing and aahing over Clooney and Pitt.

1 out of 10

OOhing and aahing over Clooney ... i agree but not Pitt !!!

In fairness it wasn't THAT bad !! had some funny moments. Didn't you laugh during the phone call scene?

Xavi6

No.

It was just a crap film. Mainly because, as someone said,

Malkovich's character wasn't of any importance and the info he had was absolutely pointless

.

thermo66

Xavi6 wrote: »

No.

It was just a crap film. Mainly because, as someone said,

Malkovich's character wasn't of any importance and the info he had was absolutely pointless

.

Don't you have a sense of humour !!

The chair Clooney was building???

Xavi6

thermo66 wrote: »

Don't you have a sense of humour !!

Yes I do. That scene wasn't humorous.

The chair Clooney was building???

That did get a snigger alright, and probably is the reason why I gave the movie a 1 and not a 0.

thermo66

Xavi6 wrote: »

Yes I do. That scene wasn't humorous.



That did get a snigger alright, and probably is the reason why I gave the movie a 1 and not a 0.

Harsh !! But i bet if Jennifer Aniston or Jessica Alba were in it you'd give it more... Admit it

Xavi6

thermo66 wrote: »

Harsh !! But i bet if Jennifer Aniston or Jessica Alba were in it you'd give it more... Admit it

I try not to be that superficial when judging a movie.

Neither of them are anything to write home about anyway in terms of talent and I've seen better looking women walking down the street so no, it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference.

thermo66

Xavi6 wrote: »

I try not to be that superficial when judging a movie.

Neither of them are anything to write home about anyway in terms of talent and I've seen better looking women walking down the street so no, it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference.

OKKayy!!! Cheer up mate it might never happen !!

Xavi6

thermo66 wrote: »

OKKayy!!! Cheer up mate it might never happen !!

But it did happen. I saw the movie

thermo66

Xavi6 wrote: »

But it did happen. I saw the movie

The notebook is good !! Go watch that !!

Mushy

Saw it last night...very very enjoyable film. And the more I think back on it, the funnier I find it. As its the Coen's type of humour, its easy to understand why people don't like it. But that isn't going to stop me enjoying it.

As someone else said, the CIA chief was brilliant. Really enjoyed his stuff, even if it was only roughly 3 or 4 lines. Malkovich is very very good, that image of him walking down the pier, followed by the one of him in the house a few minutes later....very good I found. Even the first scene got a good laugh out of me, as did Clooneys chair. Very enjoyable though, will watch it again, and soon.

fryup

just saw this on tg4

what a cak of sh!t, didn't laugh once