When Burn After Reading first came out in the theaters, people flocked to go see it. What was this little quirky film, featuring so many big name actors and actresses? And it's directed by the Coen brothers... interesting! Now Burn After Reading is out on DVD and fans of the movie have been picking it up in full force.
As mentioned, the Burn After Reading DVD features many phenomenal, big name actors and actresses. On the list are Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich and Tilda Swinton. They all play bit roles, some larger and some smaller, in the unfolding craziness of this great Coen brothers film.
While they all put their acting chops on display, you'll be most entertained by the dimwit, too dumb to be oblivious character that Pitt plays. The story basically goes that CIA lifer Osborne Cox, played by Malkovich, is being tossed out the door, and so is going to reveal everything he knows in a tell-all autobiography. He loses his copy on CD, and it ends up in the hands of Pitt and McDormand, two gym staffers.
If you want to watch a fun, dark comedy then pick up the Burn After Reading DVD. You'll also enjoy plenty of bonuses, special features and treats, making it a good movie to pick up and have around the house.
After the dark brilliance of No Country for Old Men, Burn After Reading may seem like a trifle, but few filmmakers elevate the trivial to art quite like Joel and Ethan Coen. Inspired by Stansfield Turner's Burn Before Reading, the comically convoluted plot clicks into gear when the CIA gives analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) the boot. Little does Cox know his wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton, riffing on her Michael Clayton character), is seeing married federal marshal Harry (George Clooney, Swinton's Clayton co-star, playing off his Syriana role).
To get back at the Agency, Cox works on his memoirs. Through a twist of fate, fitness club workers Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt in a pompadour that recalls Johnny Suede) find the disc and try to wrangle a "Samaratin tax" out of the surly alcoholic. An avid Internet dater, Linda plans to use the money for plastic surgery, oblivious that her manager, Ted (The Visitor's Richard Jenkins), likes her just the way she is.
Though it sounds like a Beltway remake of The Big Lebowski, the Coen entry it most closely resembles, this time the brothers concentrate their energies on the myriad insecurities endemic to the mid-life crisis--with the exception of Chad, who's too dense to share such concerns, leading to the funniest performance of Pitt's career. If Lebowski represented the Coen's unique approach to film noir, Burn sees them putting their irresistibly absurdist stamp on paranoid thrillers from Enemy of the State to The Bourne Identity.
You can rent Burn After Reading today and begin a free 2 week trial at Blockbuster Online Total Access with no obligations to continue. Full-time plans then begin for less than $10 per month and you can rent an unlimited amount of movies.
