Burn After Reading (2008)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Directors:

Ethan Coen
Joel Coen

Writers (WGA):

Joel Coen (written by) &
Ethan Coen (written by)

Release Date:

12 September 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Intelligence is relative.

Plot:

A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it.

Plot Keywords:

Gym | Memoir | CIA | Divorce | CIA Agent

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 9 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 16	3:35 AM	HBO
Tue. July 21	12:20 AM	HBO

Cast

George Clooney	...	Harry Pfarrer
Frances McDormand	...	Linda Litzke
Brad Pitt	...	Chad Feldheimer
John Malkovich	...	Osbourne Cox
Tilda Swinton	...	Katie Cox
Richard Jenkins	...	Ted Treffon
Elizabeth Marvel	...	Sandy Pfarrer
David Rasche	...	CIA Officer
J.K. Simmons	...	CIA Superior
Olek Krupa	...	Krapotkin
Michael Countryman	...	Alan
Kevin Sussman	...	Tuchman Marsh Man
J.R. Horne	...	Divorce Lawyer
Hamilton Clancy	...	Peck
Armand Schultz	...	Olson

Also Known As:

Burn After Reading (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA | UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44448) | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-13 | Australia:MA | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Singapore:NC-16 (video rating) (heavily cut) | UK:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Germany:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Sweden:15 | Norway:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Brazil:14 | Argentina:16 | Netherlands:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Japan:PG-12 | Czech Republic:15 | Peru:14 | France:U | South Korea:18 | Iceland:14 (video rating) | Iceland:16 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Bronx Community College - University Avenue at West 181 Street, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Mike Zoss Productions

Trivia:

George Clooney's second film opposite Tilda Swinton following Michael Clayton (2007) the year before. While in this film they play lovers, in the other they are rivals.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The CIA Supervisor states that Venezuela does not have an extradition treaty with the US. Venezuela has had a bilateral extradition treaty with the US since 1923.

Quotes:

Krapotkin: This is Mr Krapotkin from the Russian embassy.
Linda Litzke: Mr Crapkin...

Movie Connections:

References "Seinfeld" (1990)

Soundtrack:

Judy

The Coens deserved a break after the epic "No Country". They took one.

Allstar cast. Allstar directors. Must-see film? No. And it's not even an interesting failure. What we have is a collection of forty-somethings being content to coast on their reputations, desperately looking for a fresh face to infuse some life in the proceedings. "Burn after Reading" wants to be a farce, but forgets to be funny. It pretends to tell us something about the world we live in, but does so shallowly. And on top of that, it seems to present a negative world view for the sake of it, which is borderline unethical coming from people as talented as this.

Now, if you're a Clooney/Malkovich/McDormand/Pitt/Coen-fan and must see this movie, I won't stop you. There are some enjoyable moments, and you'll occasionally laugh. I guess Pitt IS funny as sports instructor, and Malkovich is always good when he's just being John Malkovich. But in the end, "Burn After Reading" is a hollow exercise in black comedy that never bites, never connects, and wastes millions of acting talent on a throwaway script that could have used a LOT of seasoning.