Rent Burn After Reading (2008)

Burn before viewing. - Burn After Reading review by CP Customer

Oh really, this is so bad.

I really like the Coen Brothers output, but this? ...... this resembles a very poor attempt at farce by too-smart American film students, not the champions of left-field quirk.

Seriously, I've seen 'Carry-On' films do farce better - and with more depth and characterisation too.

Such a shame. I thought some of the actors did a decent job - I actually loved Brad Pitt, so far out of his usual field, Frances McDormand was great, John Malkovich supremely brilliant..... but there was just nothing there.

I reached the end and thought: "Oh"

Yeah yeah, I 'got' the references, I 'got' the (attempted) satire...... but sometimes we have to just accept that some great film makers create some really poor work. This is so for the Coen Brothers.

'Emperors new clothes' came to mind when I read some reviews post-viewing.

Two stars because I don't think all of the cast did a bad job, they were just given a clumsy, empty, characterless script.

Coen Pitstop - Burn After Reading review by CP Customer

Burn After Reading is very much a comedy that only the Coen Brothers would set out to make and deliver. At times it is too smart and pretentious for its own good, but there are flashes of brilliance amidst the pedestrian directing and stale American environments.

John Malkovich and Tilda Swinton both excel in their roles as the hard-nosed couple from hell. Their relationship is far from perfect yet by the end of the film you know they are ideally suited. Those expecting a Brad Pitt vehicle will be disappointed, but for those of us following the Coen’s trail, it is another enjoyable if slightly haphazard offbeat experience.

After No Country For Old Men, arguably the only way is down, yet this is a modest dip in quality. While I still had some questions at the end about what happened to a couple of characters, it is a fun, intelligent and humorous 96 minutes in a sea of rude comedies that grace our theatres nowadays.

OMG what a load of bilge - Burn After Reading review by CP Customer

please dont waste 92 mns of your life watching this its absolute rubbish it really is...was waiting for something to really happen and the ending well the less said about that the better

Read the reviews - it'll save you time. - Burn After Reading review by Karrie

Believe the three reviews Burn before Viewing, Burn After Reading and Forget after Viewing.

Rare I don't like a film, I love slow enigmatic films and dry comedy. Despite enjoying the perfomances of the main actors ( John Malkovitch being very John Malkovitch, Tilda Swinton being great as ever, Frances McDormand's self-obsessive, Brad Pitt as an amazingly cringy youth and George Cluney being really creepy) - it was dire: the whole family thought so.

A potentially hilarious storyline and characters, missing most of its targets.

Love it! - Burn After Reading review by GB

We saw it the other week and have ordered it again. Seem to be swimming against the tide here but my wife and I loved this. Crazy plot, crazy characters and worth renting for Brad Pitts character alone.

A Clever satire - Worth The Effort - Burn After Reading review by GI

This is a wonderfully scripted farce from the Coen Brothers, a situation comedy that relies on assumptions, greed and stupidity to weave a convoluted tale that satirises the spy film genre. With it's top cast this is a film worthy of re-evaluation, it's adult and very funny and it's great to see these actors playing against type. The plot involves a floppy disc that contains the rather boring memoirs of Osborne Cox (John Malkovich), a former CIA analyst sacked for his drinking problem. His snobbish wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) wants a divorce and expects her married lover, Harry (George Clooney), a sex obsessed Treasury Agent, to move in with her. The disc gets lost and is found by two hapless gymnasium employees, Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt) who think they've come across secret intelligence files. Their attempts to bribe Osborne results in all the characters getting embroiled together in some very unexpected ways. The film has some very unexpected surprises and you'll gasp with some shocked laughter at times and like all of the Coens' film it goes in directions you will not anticipate. This is what makes their movies such great fun and here in this comedy they are clearly having a great time with the characters most of which were written specifically for the actors playing them. Brad Pitt especially excels as the amiable but thoroughly stupid Chad. This is an underrated film but one I recommend because it's adult comedy that is well written, and wonderfully performed.

Surprisingly good, but not perfect - Burn After Reading review by BS

I was surprised at the negative reviews for this film.

I think the problem is that this is a farce in the classic British tradition, and has to be judged as such, rather than something more sophisticated. The cast is excellent, and have fun with their characters. The script is strong with some great moments and gives pace and energy. The plot is convoluted, but not hugely important as it is set up to support the scenarios.

It is true that non of the characters are likeable, but I don't think that detracts from it. Tilda Swinton is brilliant if a bit typecast as cold and unsentimental. Frances McDormand is superb as insecure and, ultimately, completely out of her depth. I thought Brad Pitt's gormless personal trainer was hilarious.

There are some shocking surprises onscreen, but what is odd is how a number of key events happen offscreen. This is particularly true of the denouement, which felt like it was not the original plan.

While it isn't Raising Arizona, it is certainly worth a watch, and served well while ensconced on the sofa on New Year's Day.