[S Clark]

The Coen Bros. are IMO the funniest guys currently making movies.  So the wife and I hurried to the first showing of the new "Burn after Reading".  Big stars playing goofy characters, everything tongue in cheek... bound to be funny.  As I watched a very funny Brad Pitt playing an airhead, a frantic Francis McDermit as despairing, aging gym employee, a very angry John Malkovich, and a goofy yet slimy George Clooney, I chuckled at the characters as individuals, but never at the story.  Chuckles gave way to silence, silence to boredom, and finally to zzzzzzzzzzzz.....   Yep, I fell asleep in a Coen Bros. film.  I sorta counted the times I laughed outloud- on the fingers of one hand.

Not only do I not recommend this flick, I have to say that it falls short of mediocre.  Honestly, I wouldn't even put it on my Netflix list when it comes to dvd.

Oh well, even Beethovan batted about .500 on his symphonies.  I guess it is to much to ask greatness of each Coen film, it's just that it is what I have come to expect from them.

[Cacophonix]

I felt that it was an okay movie. Certainly does not compare with "fargo" or "big lebowski". I'd say its more in the league of "ladykillers".
Cast is great though .. esp brad pitt. He's hilarious as an airhead gym instructor.
I'd give it a B-. Skip the theater, and watch it on netflix. Much cheaper, and you won't feel cheated if u end up disliking it.

[underdog64]

Just went to see this today-I think it's proabably their funniest since Fargo (maybe better).Highly recommended!

[Wind Chaser]

How one responds to a Coen Bro film depends on their head space at the time they see it. 

Pitt gives the worst performance of his life.  Had he shown a little restraint, his performance might have been convincing.  Instead he plays it over the top and comes off annoying.  IF there are any people like that in real life, they don't have friends, jobs or parents who care about them.  Flat out, they SHOULD be shot!

Clooney was much more interesting to watch, but there were a few scenes where he too might have held back just a bit.

By contrast Frances McDormand and John Malkovich handle their quirky roles much better.  Tilda Swinton has the only non eccentric role, and though she plays it well, it seems some what out of place  given the lunacy of everyone else in the world around her.

As bizarre films go, it was a bizarre film.  The closing scene summed it all up quiet nicely.  It's not up there with Joel and Ethan's best work, but it is an engaging film.  The initial story development is a tad slow, but if you stay with it, you shouldn't fall asleep.

[underdog64]

Really surprised at the negative or so-so reviews of this film.Judging from the howls of laughter from the audience in the theater I'd seen it in-I'd say most of the movie went over pretty good.

[byteme]

was looking very forward to seeing this, love the Coens.  But like the OP friends of ours went to see it and both said it was bad - one of them fell asleep as well!

[doug s.]

compared to tropic thunder, it was fantastic!  on the whole, i'd say it was enjoyable, but not memorable.  definitely weird, tho...  interesting take on the cia...

doug s.

[ajzepp]

Just saw this one tonight...have to admit it was better than I expected. I don't know how I felt about Pitt's performance, but I did enjoy the ensemble cast as a whole, and Malkovich was exceptionally good. I also always get a kick out of JK Simmons...he's like a modern day Alan Arkin, IMO...he steals the show every time he's on screen, yet in an unassuming way.

I give this one about a 7.4/10.

[Abby356]

I have to side with S Clark on this one. I wanted to like it. I was expecting to like it. Instead, it makes my top 10 worst ever movie list. With an all-star cast like the one put together for this film i felt like i had been fooled when all was said and done. I saw a strange sort of attempt to pull off a bit of a  "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" story line that fell way ,way, short. Interconnected characters that didn't know their juxtaposition to one another with a bit of violence thrown in. The humor and violence just didn't mix in this film. The humor was absent and the violence seemed unnecessary (ie the closet scene).

Regards, Daniel.

[chadh]

We netflixed this last week, and both my wife and I found it pretty disappointing.  Again, this comes from two absolute fans of Coen Brothers movies.  It's not even as though I need the bold, in-your-face laughs that something like The Big Lebowski offers.  I still think Barton Fink is one of the funniest, most enjoyable movies I've ever seen.  But this one just felt light-weight and inconsequential (sort of like their remake of Intolerable Cruelty, which I found tedious despite the appearance of the divine Catherine Zeta Jones).

I think S Clark's analysis is very accurate.  Everything about the movie was likeable, and the characters (deliberately caricatures) were interesting enough, despite their single-dimensionality.  But the whole thing just floated along without offering anything substantial on which to focus.

I laughed when I read Doug's post, though...

compared to tropic thunder, it was fantastic!  on the whole, i'd say it was enjoyable, but not memorable.  definitely weird, tho...  interesting take on the cia...

doug s.

The next movie we had from netflix was Tropic Thunder!  Consequently, I have to agree with Doug as well.  If you really want to enjoy Burn Before Reading, take heavy doses of Tropic Thunder twice daily for seven days first.  That's guaranteed to restore the Coen Brothers to genius status.

Chad

[jqp]

A little cartooney. When I see that Pitt was nominated for supporting actor I know that the money/public relations machine is working overtime. There were so many more deserving of that nomination IMO. I did like John Malkovich as the CIA guy - he always works hard on his roles, usually plays a complex villain.

[Tyson]

I liked it.  Like most Coen movies, it plays better over time.  Second and third viewings really allowed me to appreciate it after a somewhat lukewarm initial reaction.

[burn_unit]

I don't appreciate the title. 

(The Coen brothers can't do broad comedy, imo, only as part of bleak stories like, "Fargo".)

[Wind Chaser]

It's been almost 8 years , and I saw it again last night. Although I did enjoy it more this time, I still agree with everything I previously wrote above. I would add that between the editing and the complexity of the story, it can be a little challenging for some to follow if you don't get hooked in and stay in with the story.