BURN AFTER READING (2008)

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"Coen Comedy: Finally!"

Shocking, hilarious and a great turn for the Coen brothers. A comedy with a very unusual and mysterious plot. It doesn't matter what was going on, it was just fun to sit through.

Uh... can't say what the plot is. Not because it would ruin anything, but because it didn't make a lick of sense, and it didn't have to. The humor was just like the first time in front of a jack-in-the-box; winding the toy, not knowing what to expect and then... BHAM!; a total shock. The first several minutes are tiring and not too bright. It does pick up though. Ah! I wish I knew how to write a worthy review for this movie to show just how great it was, but it really difficult.

So... let's move on. George Clooney, ah yes. He IS the movie... a big part in fact. His witty, bachelor charisma made me laugh and smile [not to give anything away, but he only gets funnier to watch when he becomes paranoid].

Brad Pitt had a limited part, but every scene of his was top notch. He's a sweet, innocent, clueless gym trainer who has some queer incentive. from the trailer, no one can really see him as being gay [northing's wrong with homosexuality, I'm just trying to organize room for this review, is all], but how he acts in here was also... quite a shock. So much energy and emotion. I haven't seen this amount of effort from him since Fight Club. Which does bring me to his laugh, of course. His laugh was brief... and that's okay. It always bring a smile to my face when he delivers that subtle loony laugh of his. Can't wait to see him next in this December's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

So... after alls the thought I put into my previous paragraphs, now it's time to see if I really can come up with an opinion on the plot. Okay, well I guess it's a mystery/thriller that involves a series of disclosed divorces i.e. - Osbourne (Malkovich) & Katie Cox (Swinton), but Katie's sleeping around with Harry (Clooney) whom is sleepy around with several woman, including Linda (McDormand), while his wife is unaware and out-of-town.

AND: Osbourne gets laid-off from his job and decides to write a memoir. Katie kicks him out of the place and he's left to live on his boat. ALSO: Linda is self-conscience about her appearance and desperately wants it to change with a series of surgeries, only she can't afford them. Then a fellow employee of hers, Chad (Pitt), comes along with a disc of assorted documents about Osbourne Cox. So, they assist each other to blackmailing this man and getting a hefty money reward from him. One thing leads to another, letting people die, false hypothesis going underway, and having absolutely nothing to link any of this together. So... [I apologize for all the "So..."s] like I mentioned earlier, there's no plot, really. J.K. Simmons even said so himself, "Call me when... uh... when this makes sense".

Oops! I left out J.K. Simmons. Yes, there were many others affiliated with Burn After Reading, but J.K. is a very important aspect in the humor department. Once the first act of "crime" is taken, the CIA takes it to the top with its Superior (Simmons) to sort it all out. J.K. and David Rasche, together, made two hysterical scenes that both were equally exciting to see. The conversations between the two were placed perfectly and was... uh... I'm speechless. They were perfect! There, that sums it up.

Yahoo for the Coen brothers! I felt this was a major step up from No Country for Old Men. Most may disagree, but that movie had no effect on me. But this one was great! It may be because it was a completely different style then No Country for Old Men. If anyone is disappointment by the recent releases to the theater like Disaster Movie, College, so forth, then go and see Burn After Reading. It'll be worth it.