Review: Burn After Reading Written By Brian Paterson on 5/11/09
The Coen Brothers’ latest dark comedy Burn After Reading tells the story of former CIA operative Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) and how he cannot help but feel the entire world, from his scheming wife to the dim-witted twosome who stumble upon a CD containing personal documents to be used in his memoir, is simply “a league of morons” out to ruin his life. What follows is a whirlwind of blackmail, deceit, treachery and murder – all the standard trimmings of a Coen epic. The outlandish plot trudges throughout with its whip smart (or in this case, whip stupid) dialogue; however, some of it gets lost in the fray. I understand that given the right timing the occasional swear can be amusing, but the script is peppered with more unnecessary F-bombs than Foxboro after a Brady ACL tear. I couldn’t help but feel the Coens played it safe in going for the cheap laugh rather than do what they do best – write some of the best dialogue of the past twenty years.
The film’s cast is undoubtedly its selling point, even if half of them weren’t quite up to the task. Malkovich gives an excellent performance and is at times side-splitting in his frank, gangly delivery. He is a tortured soul who, despite his menacing presence, manages to blend the dark humor we’ve come to expect from the Coens with the growing madness that eventually consumes him. His nemesis comes in the form of the chiseled, goldilocked personal trainer Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), who is easily the films most affable character not only because Pitt nails the role, but also because he represents every American stuck in a dead-end job that still craves a bit of excitement.
Conversely, George Clooney’s performance as Treasury officer meets inventor meets sexual deviant Harry Pfarrer falls painfully flat, and with much of the film devoted to the relationships between him and Linda Litzke/Katie Cox (Francis McDormand/Tilda Swinton), you’ll be wondering why the Coens didn’t explore the Pitt/Malkovich dynamic further, as I have no doubt they will in future releases. A good portion of the laughs come when this pair is present and it pains me that their time on screen is cut short by the sheer amount of supporting characters. Francis McDormand, enchanting as she may be, plays a befuddled character that is at one moment sweet and tender then shallow the next. Much like the rom-com she attends with her online hubbies entitled Coming Up Daisy, her performance will likely be forgotten after a few drinks and a whirl aboard Mr. Clooney’s wild ride (so that’s what he was working on down there).
Having enjoyed Fargo, Raising Arizona, and most recently No Country for Old Men, this film’s one-dimensional story left me feeling a bit unfulfilled. I’m not asking for North by Northwest, but when a film’s conflict can be resolved with a simple phone call, its premise grows more fantastic with each passing minute; Burn After Reading is no exception. The Coens’ “satire” of the American populace and their shallow perceptions concerning money, sex, and vanity, is not so much a 90 minute verbal reprimanding as it is an exaggerated account of five extremely superficial people. The Coens’ most honest criticism of the Stars and Stripes ultimately has nothing to do with the film’s plot at all, but rather comes from Juno pop J.K. Simmons as the CIA Superior. In a post 9-11 world, his total indifference to not only to the “lost intelligence” but also someone who worked under him in Cox is eerily authentic. Though some of the film’s biggest laughs came from Simmons, it will no doubt make the viewer think twice about the buffoons watching over the country.
Burn After Reading will make you laugh, but they are too few and far between to maintain any real comedic consistency. For every chuckle there’s roughly ten minutes of babble between characters you most likely will not care for, and it’s a shame since we know these two writers are capable of much more. Also, though unsurprising, it’s a bit disheartening when the best thing the film has going for it takes a bullet through the noggin halfway through. If you’re a fan of the Coens’ normally satisfying sinister tales, you might be disappointed with their latest. Burn After Reading is further cinematic proof that no matter how half-baked a story, the right mix of actors can elevate a mediocre film to something … slightly less mediocre.
