The Coen Brothers have made Oscar winners and cult classics for decades. Although “Burn After Reading” may never fit into either of those categories, it is still something for them to be proud of.
Ex-CIA analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) is attempting to write his memoirs when they end up falling into the hands of two gym employees, Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) and Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt).
Linda, in the hopes of getting money to pay for an overhaul of cosmetic surgeries, has Chad help her to blackmail Cox.
To add to Cox’s problems, his wife is sleeping with Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney) who, at the same time, is still sleeping with his own wife and women he finds on Internet dating sites.
As these characters come together, the fact that they are all idiots in their own way becomes pretty evident and is the backing for the humor of the film.
The best example and one of the best performances is Chad. Pitt has departed from roles like Tyler Durden in “Fight Club” and Jesse James in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” and plays a complete and utter idiot. Chad’s attempts at being a smooth and hard man when dealing with Cox are hilarious and account for some of the best lines in the movie.
John Malkovich (“Rounders”, “Being John Malkovich”) is another standout performer in this film. Cox has a drinking problem, and Malkovich makes him into one of the angriest drunks on film. His ranting and raving make for countless laughs but moments later, Cox is depicted as a man with a cold heart and liquor-numbed nerves of steel.
It is definitely an impressive performance.
Another brilliant character is a CIA superior officer played by J.K. Simmons (“Juno,” “Thank You For Smoking”). Every line out of his mouth is a punch line and leaves you hoping that decisions in the CIA aren’t made in his carefree style.
There are some setbacks, however. This film probably won’t win any awards or draw a huge following. Some moments in McDormand’s and Clooney’s performances simply aren’t believable, which is surprising considering some of their past Coen films like “Fargo” and “O, Brother Where Art Thou?” respectively. Also, some twists in the plot just seem unnecessary.
Everyone is sleeping with everyone at some point. It just gets a little ridiculous.
So, despite some strange plot devices and a few moments of doubtful performances, a DVD copy of “Burn After Reading” will find a place on my shelf.