Burn After Reading

An author once described how he wrote a short story that he needed to quickly deliver to the publisher, but he didn't know how to end it. So he turned to his friends for advice and they told him to just cut it up and go to the pub with them. Because he really wanted to go to the pub, he allowed his characters to be cut up and hurried to the pub. I don't know where the Coen brothers were headed, but I get the feeling that this film was sewn with a needle that was too hot. The concept is attractive and they came up with several interesting characters, but they couldn't utilize their potential anywhere near as much as they deserved. It's unfinished and unbalanced, although it should be emphasized that it's not a bad film at its core. The film has charming moments, like when Frances McDormand bitterly says that she wouldn't be able to make a living as an actress with her body and face, and in Hollywood, they would make fun of her. Also, whenever George Clooney or Brad Pitt appear on screen, it's clear that they see their characters as parodies of their own acting styles and their usual protagonists who made them famous. But what good is all of that when many scenes end unremarkably and the film completely lacks the complexity and precision that made the Coen brothers famous? It's simply not a film in the style of The Man Who Wasn't There, Fargo, or, if we're talking about their comedies, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Overall impression: 60%. (01.03.2009)

It’s the typical Coen absurdity - an ordinary man thrown into insanely escalated situations - and it brings to mind the best of what the brothers have done to earn their reputation. It’s got a thoughtful plot, clever twists, excellent actors, great direction, and references so apt that Hitchcock is surely smiling in his grave. It's not good enough for the Oscars like last year, but I like this position much better. (14.01.2009)

A black-humored critique of the American way of life, relationship problems, and secret service and espionage practices, in the typically sensitive fashion of the Coen brothers; cleverly directed and very sprawling. Although there is no lack of wit and the running time is just right, one can't help feeling that it's all pointless, excessively noisy, exacerbated and a bit out of touch with reality. One can understand the need to read between the lines and it's more of a Saturday afternoon diversion where nothing much is resolved, but I’m just not willing to accept the hackneyed feel of it. A pointless thing with a filmmaking rhetoric says nothing and it’s not fun. (22.07.2017)

This was my first encounter with the Coen brothers, and I can’t say if their style is for me just yet. Honestly, the only real fun I had was thanks to Brad Pitt, who nailed his hilariously unhinged character. People say the Coens make unique films, so here’s hoping their other work feels different from this one. 50%. (01.08.2009)

The Coen’s announce a return to cynical waters. That definitely is good news. But the bad news is, that they are returning to waters that they have already peed into countless times. And this time with an almost non-existent screenplay. But in terms of acting, this is right up my street. And paradoxically it makes it better, because everybody is acting their life out, even though they have nothing really to act. Bizarre. (02.11.2008)