Burn After Reading (R)

Quirky, violent Coen comedy isn't meant for kids.

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Common Sense rates it
4
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Movie details
  • Studio: Focus Features
  • Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
  • Cast: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt
  • Running Time: 96 minutes
  • Release Date: 09/11/2008
  • Genre: Comedy
  • MPAA Rating: R
  • MPAA Explanation: pervasive language, some sexual content and violence.

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that this quirky comic thriller has much in common with others in the Coen brothers' canon: It's very funny and very violent. There's plenty of sex (though not much nudity) and swearing ("f--k"s galore), and characters drink, like, manipulate, and whatever else they need to do to promote their own selfish interests. But teens may still want to see it, both because it stars Brad Pitt and George Clooney and because so many of the Coens' previous comedies have become cult favorites (Fargo, Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski).

Families can talk about whether any of the characters in the movie can be considered role models. What motivates them to behave the way they do? What do they have in common with characters in other Coen brothers movies? How does the movie as a whole stack up against the Coens' other films? Families can also discuss how a mountain is made out of a molehill in the movie. How does the situation escalate so quickly? Teens: Have you ever found yourself in circumstances that spun out of control? What did you do?

Message

Social Behavior:

Everyone in the movie is a liar, pursuing selfish ends. Husbands and wives cheat on each other; one man trolls online dating sites for sex partners and then lies shamelessly to get them into bed; another hides the fact that he's been fired; and two other people try to pass themselves off as spies to sell stolen documents. Even the characters who initially seem like good people end up displaying their darker, pettier side.

Consumerism:

Some brands of alcohol are referred to by name and/or shown on screen. Several characters' cars are shown repeatedly, including their logos. One fitness-obsessed man is insulted when his fancy bike is described as a "Schwinn." He's also practically glued to his iPod. There are mentions of PCs, Macs, and Gatorade, as well as logos for Safeway, 7-Eleven, and Tropicana.

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Osborne Cox drinks often, and some scenes show him carefully preparing his beverages. In several scenes, he's clearly drunk. A coworker says Cox has a drinking problem, sending him into a rage.

Violence

Several moments of violence -- involving fists, guns, knives, and an axe -- pop up so suddenly that they're quite startling. The fights are realistic, bloody, and gory. People are killed, their bodies disposed of. Some characters also use cars as weapons, intentionally ramming into other vehicles.

Sex

Some scenes show people having sex -- sound effects, but no nudity. The couples are shown talking in bed afterward, presumably naked under the covers. One character builds an elaborate sex chair with an extremely crass sexual accessory, which he shows off to a date.

Language

Plenty of swearing, including "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," and more. Every character's vocabulary is liberally peppered with curses.

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by S. Jhoanna Robledo

Forced to quit his CIA analyst job, Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) vows to write his memoirs -- in between shots of whatever he's drinking at the moment. His chilly wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton), can't be bothered to be sympathetic; she's too busy sleeping with Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), a married federal marshal who's into infidelity, jogging, and hardwood floors. Then Osborne's manifesto-in-progress -- and a bunch of other personal data -- is purloined, falling into the hands of dim-bulb gym trainer Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) and his coworker Linda Litzky (Frances McDormand), who desperately yearns for plastic surgery. Linda thinks the manuscript (and, ostensibly, its secrets) could be her ticket to beauty-ville, leading her and Chad down a very messy road. And they're not the only ones on the path, either.

Is it any good?

4
Wickedly funny and plainly outrageous, BURN AFTER READING gleefully takes potshots at spy films, making a big deal out of nothing, really. The farce begins with the opening credits' satellite pictures and sinister footfalls and doesn't let up from there. In the Coens' zany universe, nothing is sacred -- not marriage, not friendship, not even the CIA. Violence punctuates the jokes (you'll laugh; you can't help it). The brothers have assembled an incomparable cast, mixing up a potent dark comedy potion. Start with Pitt (as funny as he's ever been), then add a dash of Swinton, a swig of Clooney, and plenty of Malkovich for good measure. But it's really McDormand who owns the film; Linda is so desperate and yet so likeable that the madness she cooks up is almost palatable.

Still, Burn After Reading is no Fargo. For all its cheek, it's not actually all that brazen. It doesn't push the envelope far enough -- at least for a Coen brothers movie. It lacks a certain amount inspiration and, well, to paraphrase one character, a point. Not that having a point is a must. But when characters are expended as blithely as they are here, you can't help asking that question. Then again, maybe we don't always need a reason to laugh out loud.

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Parents and kids say

All Reviews

There are 2 reviews.

1


Posted on 12/02/08 by kiba_akota_pup Adult contributor

Isn't meant for kids?

Is not meant for anyone, not only are there more scenes of sexual stupidity in one hour than you will ever see in any R movie, but the whole movie had no point at all! Basically it was a thrown together peice of garbage movie that made no sense, barely had a plot, tried to hard to have sexuality humor that ended up just being pure wrong (in all scenes no one laughed but had very dissatisfing nervous like faces), and did not deserve all that they said it was up to be!
1


Posted on 12/02/08 by kiba_akota_pup Adult contributor

Isn't meant for kids?

Is not meant for anyone, not only are there more scenes of sexual stupidity in one hour than you will ever see in any R movie, but the whole movie had no point at all! Basically it was a thrown together peice of garbage movie that made no sense, barely had a plot, tried to hard to have sexuality humor that ended up just being pure wrong (in all scenes no one laughed but had very dissatisfing nervous like faces), and did not deserve all that they said it was up to be!

Adult Reviews

There are 2 reviews.

1


Posted on 12/02/08 by kiba_akota_pup Adult contributor

Isn't meant for kids?

Is not meant for anyone, not only are there more scenes of sexual stupidity in one hour than you will ever see in any R movie, but the whole movie had no point at all! Basically it was a thrown together peice of garbage movie that made no sense, barely had a plot, tried to hard to have sexuality humor that ended up just being pure wrong (in all scenes no one laughed but had very dissatisfing nervous like faces), and did not deserve all that they said it was up to be!
1


Posted on 12/02/08 by kiba_akota_pup Adult contributor

Isn't meant for kids?

Is not meant for anyone, not only are there more scenes of sexual stupidity in one hour than you will ever see in any R movie, but the whole movie had no point at all! Basically it was a thrown together peice of garbage movie that made no sense, barely had a plot, tried to hard to have sexuality humor that ended up just being pure wrong (in all scenes no one laughed but had very dissatisfing nervous like faces), and did not deserve all that they said it was up to be!

Kids Reviews

There are 0 reviews.

There are no kids reviews.

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