Burn After Reading
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When a disc containing memoirs of a former CIA analyst falls into the hands of gym employees, Linda and Chad, they see a chance to make enough money for Linda to have life-changing cosmetic surgery. Predictably, events whirl out of control for the duo, and those in their orbit.
What critics thought
A Coen Brothers farce that divided critics sharply: admirers saw a perfectly calibrated satire of American stupidity and paranoia, while detractors found the film's relentless misanthropy suffocating and its deliberately cartoonish characters impossible to care about. The gap between contemporary critical reception and enduring popular affection has only widened with time, with retrospective readers now ranking it among the century's best.
“tries to mate sex farce with a satire of a paranoid political thriller, with arch and ungainly results.”
Todd McCarthy·Variety
“These people don't mean much to [the Coen brothers]; it's hardly a surprise that they don't mean much to us, either. ... Even black comedy requires that the filmmakers love someone, and the mock cruelties in Burn After Reading come off as a case of terminal misanthropy.”
David Denby·The New Yorker
“I have the sinking feeling I've made Burn After Reading sound funnier than it is. The movie's glacial affectlessness, its remove from all these subpar schemers, left me cold and perplexed.”
Richard Corliss·Time
“a tightly wound, slickly plotted spy comedy that couldn't be in bigger contrast to the Coens' last film, the bloodsoaked, brooding No Country for Old Men.”
Andrew Pulver·The Guardian
“it takes awhile to adjust to the rhythms and subversive humor of Burn because this is really an anti-spy thriller in which nothing is at stake, no one acts with intelligence and everything ends badly.”
Kirk Honeycutt·The Hollywood Reporter
Parents guide
- Violence
- moderate
- Sex
- moderate
- Profanity
- severe
- Substances
- mild
- Intensity
- moderate
Genres
Comedy, Crime, Drama
Cast & Crew
Ethan CoenDirector
Joel CoenDirector
George ClooneyHarry Pfarrer
Frances McDormandLinda Litzke
Brad PittChad Feldheimer
John MalkovichOsborne Cox
Tilda SwintonKatie Cox
Richard JenkinsTed
Elizabeth MarvelSandy Pfarrer
David RascheCIA Officer
J.K. SimmonsCIA Superior
Olek KrupaKrapotkin
Michael CountrymanAlan
Kevin SussmanTuchman Marsh Man
Carter BurwellComposer
Emmanuel LubezkiCinematographyFrom the studio
Burn After Reading
When a disc containing memoirs of a former CIA analyst falls into the hands of gym employees, Linda and Chad, they see a chance to make enough money for Linda to have life-changing cosmetic surgery. Predictably, events whirl out of control for the duo, and those in their orbit.
What critics thought
A Coen Brothers farce that divided critics sharply: admirers saw a perfectly calibrated satire of American stupidity and paranoia, while detractors found the film's relentless misanthropy suffocating and its deliberately cartoonish characters impossible to care about. The gap between contemporary critical reception and enduring popular affection has only widened with time, with retrospective readers now ranking it among the century's best.
“tries to mate sex farce with a satire of a paranoid political thriller, with arch and ungainly results.”
Todd McCarthy·Variety
“These people don't mean much to [the Coen brothers]; it's hardly a surprise that they don't mean much to us, either. ... Even black comedy requires that the filmmakers love someone, and the mock cruelties in Burn After Reading come off as a case of terminal misanthropy.”
David Denby·The New Yorker
“I have the sinking feeling I've made Burn After Reading sound funnier than it is. The movie's glacial affectlessness, its remove from all these subpar schemers, left me cold and perplexed.”
Richard Corliss·Time
“a tightly wound, slickly plotted spy comedy that couldn't be in bigger contrast to the Coens' last film, the bloodsoaked, brooding No Country for Old Men.”
Andrew Pulver·The Guardian
“it takes awhile to adjust to the rhythms and subversive humor of Burn because this is really an anti-spy thriller in which nothing is at stake, no one acts with intelligence and everything ends badly.”
Kirk Honeycutt·The Hollywood Reporter
Parents guide
- Violence
- moderate
- Sex
- moderate
- Profanity
- severe
- Substances
- mild
- Intensity
- moderate
Genres
Comedy, Crime, Drama
Cast & Crew
Ethan CoenDirectorJoel CoenDirectorGeorge ClooneyHarry PfarrerFrances McDormandLinda LitzkeBrad PittChad FeldheimerJohn MalkovichOsborne CoxTilda SwintonKatie CoxRichard JenkinsTedElizabeth MarvelSandy PfarrerDavid RascheCIA OfficerJ.K. SimmonsCIA SuperiorOlek KrupaKrapotkinMichael CountrymanAlanKevin SussmanTuchman Marsh ManCarter BurwellComposerEmmanuel LubezkiCinematographyFrom the studio
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Rent & Buy