Film: Burn After Reading
Cast includes: George Clooney (Up in the Air), Frances McDormand (Fargo), Brad Pitt (Ocean’s Eleven), John Malkovich (Ripley’s Game), Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton), Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under)
Writers/directors: Joel & Ethan Coen (Fargo)
Genre: Comedy/crime/film noir (2008)
In brief: Thanks to satellite technology we’re able to zoom right into the top of CIA headquarters in Langley VA. And everything is under control… or is it? Analysis Osbourne Cox is being taken off the Balkan’s desk because of his drinking problem. “This doesn’t have to be unpleasant,” his bosses tell him. Cox wants to know “whose ass didn’t I kiss.” He’s not interested in the crumbs the agency is offering him… he quits in protest. Back home his wife Katie only wants to know if Osbourne picked up the cheeses for their cocktail party that night. (He didn’t.) When she finally learns that Osbourne has quit, she’s indignant. What does he plan to do? “I thought I’d write my memoires.” Katie can’t believe what she’s hearing. “Why in Gods name would anyone think that’s worth anything?”
But apparently it does turn out to be worth something… or at least it looks like it should be worth something. When the cleaning person at Hardbodies Fitness Center discovers a CD with Osbourne’s memoir in the dressing room, he turns it over to management. What a discovery! There’s all kinds of “secret shit” in the files. When Linda and Chad, two gym employees, get the idea to return the CD to Osbourne, they’re sure that a reward will be forthcoming. Perhaps it would have… but these two amateurs are hopelessly inept when it comes to dealing with Osbourne, the Russians or anyone else who may have an interest in the Osbourne Cox memoires. And when the CIA gets wind of the mess, it’s so convoluted that even these professional spies are at a loss.
Quirky, offbeat, dark comedy is the specialty of the Coen Brothers, and this one is certainly entertaining. Unfortunately, there are a few characters we become quite attached to in this convoluted tale. And sadly, things don’t go well for all of them. Getting a reward for the return of the CD is especially important to Lynda who was planning major plastic surgery to rescue her body from the ravages middle age… until she learned the surgeries weren’t covered by insurance. “I’ve gone about as far as I can go with this body. I have very limited breasts, a ginormous ass and a gut that swings back and fourth in front of me line a shopping cart with a bent wheel.” Messing with the CIA, the US government, the Russians and all the other sinister characters who might have an interest in whatever’s going on here is dangerous business. If ever there were a case for healthcare reform, this is it. If ever there were a case to be made for tighter oversight of the CIA… oops… this is where we came in!
3 popped kernels
Popped kernels for wackiness. Fun script, good acting and unexpected plot turns.
