BURN AFTER READING

"Just give me the money Dick Wad!"

When a CD is discovered on the floor in the locker room of their gym, Linda Litzke (McDormand) and Chad Feldheimer (Pitt) think that is their chance to be good Samaritans and return the disc to its owner. When they look it on the computer however, it looks like the disc is full of CIA secrets and it belongs to recently fired Agent Osbourne Cox (Malkovich). Osbourne is going through his own problems however. His wife Katie (Swinton) is about to leave him for his friend Harry Pfarrer (Clooney) and discovering that someone is trying to blackmail him just sends Osbourne over the edge.

After cleaning up at the Oscars with 'No Country For Old Men', both critics and fans eyes were on what Joel and Ethan Coen were going to do next but is 'Burn After Reading' still up to their usual, very high standards?

Clearing up at most of the 2008 award ceremonies with their cutting edge drama, novel adaptation 'No Country for Old Men', critics and fans rejoiced that Joel and Ethan Coen were getting all of the plaudits they deserved. The question everyone was asking was 'How do you follow that?' but for the Coen's, this was easy. What got the Brothers such a passionate following in the first place were their quirky, character driven comedies like 'Fargo', 'The Big Lebowski', 'Raising Arizona' and 'Intolerable Cruelty' and 'Burn After Reading' is a return to that classic approach.

A comedy of errors that leads to a crescendo of laugh out loud moments, 'Burn After Reading' is a classic in the making. Again, as with all of the Coen's work, this is a character driven piece and it brings together two worlds that should never really mix. Firstly we have CIA analyst Osbourne Cox, played by Coen debutant John Malkovich, a man who has recently left his job and wants to write his memoirs, much to the annoyance of his wife. Katie Cox, played by Tilda Swinton, hates this and sees her husband as an embarrassment to her position in Washington society. This pushes her to file for divorce so she can be with lover Harry Pfarrer, played by Coen stalwart George Clooney, a man who isn't ready to leave his own wife or his philandering ways.

Secondly we have Linda Litzke and Chad Feldheimer, two gym employees who stumble across a CD that they think has CIA secrets on it. Frances McDormand's Linda is obsessed with changing her body via many cosmetic surgeries but needs the money to pay for them. She is also trying her luck at Internet dating with limited success. Her best friend at work, Chad is just along for the ride and thinks she should just be a Good Samaritan and give it back but thinks don't always go according to plan. This is Brad Pitt at his comedic best and he is really having fun with the character. Hopefully this won't be the last time he works with the Coen Brothers.

With excellent support from J.K. Simmons, David Rasche and Richard Jenkins, 'Burn After Reading' is the Coen's at their quirky, comedic best. While it does take a little time to get going but when the comedy of errors kicks in, the roller coaster of laughs starts, making this another Joel and Ethan Coen classic.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Finding the Burn (5.24 mins)
Writers/Directors Joel and Ethan Coen and stars George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton and Richard Jenkins talk about bringing 'Burn After Reading' to the silver screen. With short, brief discussions on the story and with some behind the scenes footage, this featurette is too short for fans to get the most out of it.

DC Insiders run Amuck (12.23 mins)
Writers/Directors Joel and Ethan Coen, and stars George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton and Richard Jenkins talk about the characters of 'Burn After Reading'.

Welcome Back George (2.51 mins)
Writers/Directors Joel and Ethan Coen, costume designer Mary Zophres and stars George Clooney and John Malkovich talk about bringing George back into the Coen fold and then making him look ordinary.

Trailers
Previews of 'Hamlet 2', 'Milk', 'The Big Lebowski' and 'The Office'

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for 'Burn After Reading' is one that fans of the Coen's will fine a little disappointing. The featurettes are very short and not as detailed as you might have hoped and the lack of a commentary again from the Coen's continues to disappoint. This is a shame as the film is extremely enjoyable.

DVD

The Big Lebowski

Fargo

---

The Usher Home | Hush, Hush... | The Big Story | The Usher Speaks

Stuck @ Home | Coming Soon | Links | Contact the Usher

2008