Burn After Reading

I am finally getting around to seeing all of the movies that I wanted to see last winter but did not have the time too. Burn After Reading is a Coen Brother film (written by Joel Coen and directed by Ethan Coen)
that got very mixed reviews. I have talked to people who both hated it and loved it so I figured I would see it for myself since everyone seems to have something to say about it.

The film is very well done and includes such high profile actors as George Clooney, John Malcovich and Brad Pitt, and though the acting in the film is very strong, I did not enjoy the film's plot for the most part. I went into the film thinking that it is a comedy and I think that is why I found the film to be disappointing. I did, however, LOVE the ending. The pay off of the entire film comes in the last minutes of the movie. Though the payoff is fabulous and hilarious, I am not sure if it justifies the rest of the movie which I did not enjoy much. It is frustrating to sit through an entire movie not enjoying yourself only to enjoy the last few minutes. I don't want to give too much away to readers who have not seen the film, but the pay off basically makes fun of the entire film and it made me feel almost silly for sitting through the entire hour and a half.

The quality of the picture was great; I enjoyed all of the dolly shots, handheld shots and the color palette, but I most enjoyed the characters in Burn After Reading. Every character is quirky and put into weird and awkward situations. No character is very relatable except for the gym owner who *spoiler alert* gets shot in the end. The Coen Brothers are known for their strong character portrayals and in this film they nailed their characters.







Brad Pitt plays a gym trainer who is one of those guys obsessed with exercising and nothing else.











John Malcovich is quite a character, playing an angry man who is fired from his low job at the CIA.









George Clooney plays a ridiculous guy who thinks that he is very clever, but in reality, he is a man who gets caught sleeping around and does everything but outsmart the women who he is with.









Tilda Swinton plays John Malcovich's cheating wife who is out to get his money in a divorce settlement.

All in all, if you are looking for a movie that is pointless until the end (and even then the film is pointless- you will know what I mean if you watch the film), Burn After Reading is a film you will enjoy.

Here is the link to the Rotten Tomatoes review of Burn After Reading
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/burn_after_reading/