The movie is
exactly what you would expect from the Coen brothers—fun, memorable actors, and
many scenes that will stick with you for a long time. Burn After Reading is one
of those movies that makes you, the viewer, feel like God. You’re watching the
film from above, seeing all the actors running around unaware of what the
others are doing. Even the CIA (a make-believe CIA in this movie) is confused,
but you, the viewer, have all the pieces needed to put it all together. When
the movie ended, I thought, "If only the CIA would just reach out and ask
me."
Let me bring you
into the plot: Ozzie (Malkovich) is being demoted at work with the CIA. His
boss, Palmer, makes him understand that it has more to do with his character
than his work. Ozzie goes home and tells his wife, Katie (Swinton). She sees it
as an opportunity to finally leave him since she’s having an affair with a
married U.S. Marshal, Harry (Clooney).
Ozzie starts a
memoir and saves everything onto a PC. Katie, on her lawyer's advice, copies
everything she can, specifically his financial records from the PC, to give to
them for review. One of the lawyer’s assistants forgets a CD with Ozzie’s
memoir at a gym, where two not-so-smart workers, Linda (McDormand) and Chad
(Pitt), find it.
Also, Harry
isn’t as faithful as we thought, and we find out what’s going on with him.
Before you know it, everyone is tangled in everyone else’s mess, and the whole
thing results in deaths and unnecessary aggravation for the CIA.
The movie’s
actors all deliver great performances that will captivate you, especially Brad
Pitt’s role and the way he interpreted it.
Kudos to the
Coens for the way they directed this movie, making everyone seem out of it
while making you, the viewer, feel more in control. For me, that was a good
feeling. There aren't any laugh-out-loud moments, just moments that will make
you smile and feel happy as you watch.
The movie has a
very memorable ending. When the CIA director speaks to Palmer after everything
has gone crazy:
“What did we learn, Palmer?”
“I don’t know, sir.”
“I guess we learned not to do it again.”
Even though they don’t know what they learned.
Burn After Reading has some weaknesses, especially with its inconsistent tone. While the characters are fun to watch, they often feel exaggerated or one-dimensional, making it harder to connect with their motivations. The chaotic nature of the plot adds to the humor but can also make the story difficult to follow at times.
The movie is very fun to watch. It was a critical and commercial success, and I’ll say if you haven’t seen it yet, you should definitely go ahead and watch it.
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