Burn After Reading

Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Starring: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, J.K. Simmons
Running Time: 96 min.
Rating: R

*** (Out of ****)

Burn After Reading is the rare film that’s truly about nothing. Fortunately, “nothing” can be pretty hilarious when it’s handled by the Coen Brothers. The movie is the equivalent of watching Tom Cruise’s cameo in Tropic Thunder for an hour and a half. Okay, maybe it’s not quite that funny, but it shares similarities in that the comedy comes out of the ridiculously absurd and involves big stars being able to laugh at themselves. From the get-go you’re not exactly sure where the film plans to take you and by the end you realize it took you nowhere at all. But it doesn’t matter because it’s a lot of fun getting there.

The Coens respond to the pressure of having to follow up their Best Picture Oscar win for No Country For Old Men by simply not responding at all, which was the best route to take. In many ways the film comes across as a big joke on critics and audiences who expected them to continue down the same thematically challenging road. There’s nothing challenging about this material in the slightest, and the film is only better for it. Instead, we find out that despite last year’s detour to the dark side the guys who brought us Raising Arizona, Fargo and The Big Lebowski have retained their quirky sense of humor and ability to get us to care about even the weirdest of characters. This will never be mistaken for those aforementioned films and wouldn't be considered among the Coens’ best, but I far prefer them when they’re working in this mode so it’s reassuring to discover they haven’t lost their touch.
The film’s convoluted and often intersecting plot involves alcoholic C.I.A. agent Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) who quits the agency after being informed of his impending demotion. But that’s not even the worst part. He now must come home and break the news to his bitchy, ice queen wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton) who’s having an emotionless affair with ex-secret service agent Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), a serial womanizer who prowls the internet for dates while contemplating a divorce from his wife. On one of those dating sites he meets "Hardbodies" gym employee Linda Lizke (Frances McDormand) who dreams of extensive plastic surgeries she hopes will transform her appearance. Her big break seems to come when along with her airhead co-worker Chad Feldenheimer (Brad Pitt) she discovers a copy of Osborn’s unpublished C.I.A. memoirs and attempts to blackmail him. Needless to say, things don’t go as planned and the situation gets very messy for every party involved, whether they know they’re involved or not.

It’s almost become a cliché to say that when a well known actor tackles an against type role that we’re seeing them “like we’ve never seen them before.” Except in the case of Pitt and Clooney in this film it’s true. You’ve really never seen them like this and the results are hilarious. Decked out in a goofy spandex outfit and pompadour haircut Pitt channels a far too energetic fitness instructor so well it’s alarming. You don’t expect someone of Pitt’s stature to take a role like this, especially when he’s finally reached that point where he’s really being taken seriously as an actor. In way, that’s part of what makes it so fun. A lesser actor might have mistakenly kept the volume down fearing a descent into parody but Pitt realizes his job is to present a broad caricature and just has a blast with it. And I’m wondering why more people didn’t go as Chad Feldenheimer for Halloween. There’s always next year.

As strong as Pitt is, Clooney’s even better and the one memorable scene they share together is one of the most entertaining in the film. I’m not sure what’s happened with him over the past couple of years but it seems as if like he’s really turning the corner as an actor and taking more chances. With this and his underrated Leatherheads from earlier in the year he’s proving to have an unexpected knack for comedy. If pressed, I probably could have guessed he’d be able to accurately portray a womanizing sleaze ball, but I had no idea he’d be able to make him this funny…and clueless. Just look at the look of pride on his face when he unveils the mysterious contraption he’s been building for weeks in his basement. We think it has something to do with the plot but by now we really should know better. He has another memorable moment in the park, flipping out in full panic mode when he thinks a massive conspiracy is closing in on him. I'd even go as far as to say his work here is nomination worthy. That the material is essentially pointless doesn't make what he had to do any less difficult. I'd argue that just made it harder.
Harry is beyond pathetic yet Clooney somehow finds a way to make the guy seem both creepy and enduringly likable. A similar statement could be made for nearly all of the film’s characters because as ridiculous as their actions seem they do strangely feel rooted in a recognizable reality. This is especially true of Linda, who has a sadness to her that never comes off as pathetic in McDormand’s capable hands. We’re not only rooting for her but feel for the gym manager (played by Richard Jenkins) who can’t get her to notice him or, more importantly, notice her own hidden potential. Jenkins plays the situation as straight as he played the one in The Visitor and you can read the desperation and exhaustion on his face in trying to get through to this woman. It’s a lost cause, but he can’t help it. Malkovich is as weird as ever, with it stepped up a few notches since it’s a Coen brothers movie. The further the story gets the further off the deep end he goes.

There’s little plot to discuss not because there isn’t one (there’s enough for five movies) but because it’s largely irrelevant. The movie is the performances and the characters react to the crazy situation they’re in exactly how stupid or desperate people would. It’s hard to fault the film for not amounting to anything when it openly admits that that’s the entire point. Some of the funniest moments come when a C.I.A. agent (David Rasche) must report and actually attempt to explain the bizarre goings on to his superior (J.K. Simmons). It’s then when we finally realize just how little sense the entire thing makes and how only Joel and Ethan Coen could have possibly come up with it.

In tone, Burn After Reading falls into some kind of grey area between Fargo and the somewhat underrated and misunderstood Intolerable Cruelty, although it’s probably a lot closer to the latter. I didn’t enjoy No Country For Old Men a much as everyone else (are we even supposed to "enjoy" it?) but respected it greatly and will concede that there are very few if any directors working today capable of having two films so wildly different on their resumes. There’s something to be said for range and the Coens have it in spades. When the film concludes in asking what we’ve learned and the answer is of course nothing, that actually comes as a surprisingly huge relief.

The Best (And Worst) Movie Posters of 2008

While many (including myself) have been overheard complaining 2008 was a lackluster year for films, it was an incredible one for movie posters. Last year I couldn't even come up with 10 deserving posters to fill a list of the best, but this time around there was such a plethora of great choices that I had cheat and squeeze even more in there, plus come up with a couple of new special categories. I didn't give much thought to ranking them (not sure if I could) but my favorites are at the top, or rather the bottom. That I own three of the posters on here so far (which is a record for me in a single year) is a testament to just how strong the creative output was.

Even the bad posters were interesting in some way. As usual, "SIMPLE" was the rule of the day. Posters that used a simple, direct image to convey the spirit of the film (while still being visually interesting) fared the best. I've come to notice the ones that rely only on a big star's face (or in most cases their GIANT FLOATING HEAD) to sell the movie are always the worst. More has to be offered than just a big name and face to get attention. There were so many more posters I liked but the cream of the crop is represented below, as well as is the cream of the crap. Poster images provided by www.impawards.com



THE BEST...

Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay- NPH. On a unicorn. No more needs to be said. Hysterical. You know a poster's great when you could have left out the title of the film and we'd still know what it is.



College- Say what you want about the movie but they couldn't have possibly come up with a better image than this. For better or worse, we know exactly what we're getting. I love the simplicity and the tag line. It actually looks like something you'd see hanging in a dorm room, which was probably the point.



The Wrestler- When I first saw this poster I didn't like it at all. I thought it was boring and that banner hanging down on the right telling us to "WITNESS THE RESURRECTION OF MICKEY ROURKE" was an unnecessary distraction. But as the Awards season has worn on it's grown on me a little each time I see it, to the point now where I can't think of many posters this year as effective. What I thought was boring is instead elegantly simple, conveying the film's message in a single, striking image. And that quote on the right is something totally different than anything we've seen on a poster. It also uses a color scheme and font design you don't see everyday.



Synecdoche, New York- Charlie Kaufman written films are known for their big, crazy ideas so for his directorial debut it's appropriate the ambitious movie has one of the trippiest, most memorable one-sheets of the year. A life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse? Huh? What? It got your attention. And no other poster looks like it. Love the blimp. And the critical blurb at the top has to be the longest I've ever seen on a poster. That took guts. It probably took that much space to even come close to explaining the movie. Just don't ask me to pronounce the title.



My Winnipeg- What's that guy doing out on the ledge? Who's the old lady? What's with the arrow pointing at him? Is the movie in black and white? I don't know anything about the film at all but this poster makes me want to find out. No lame photoshopping here. The unusual angle it was shot at is very cool as is what was done to the edges to make it look like an aged photograph. This one is as original as it gets.



Cloverfield- This is the first teaser poster for the film, before we knew anything, like the title who's starring in it, what it's about. And we don't need to. This striking image gives us all we need and want. It probably played a bigger role in the movie's success than many would like to admit.



Hell Ride- So maybe that "simple" rule can be thrown out the window for this one. Actually though, despite being very busy, it is simple. It lets us know simply that we're in for a grindhouse-like experience. Supposedly, it wasn't a very successful one from what I've heard but the poster at least got it right. I'm not sure how long I could look at it on the wall everyday without going blind but taken in a small dose it works exceptionally well.



The Bank Job- Move over Steve McQueen. This throwback design looks like it's right out of the 60's or 70's (which is when the movie's events take place). The off-white color and retro border are cool touches. One of the more underrated and understated posters of the year that also does the movie justice. Simple and effective.



Blindness- Very clever. Whoever thought of this deserves a raise. The eye chart idea is great enough on its own but having Julianne Moore reaching out for it from behind is a creepy effect. Not only the only poster on this list to use the transparent style (I'm sure you know what the other one is) but it's awesome nonetheless and would get someone who knows nothing about the film interested quickly.



Burn After Reading- No one will accuse this retro-throwback poster of being the most original of the year but you can't tell me it isn't slick and eye-catching. It's got that Hitchcock vibe going, which works and perfectly presents the tone of the film. The other character-centric versions weren't nearly as interesting as this.



Gran Torino- Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words. He's Clint Eastwood. He's cranky. He's 75. And he can still kick your ass.



The Dark Knight (Take Your Pick)- The Dark Knight had a wide variety of posters to choose from this year but these were by far the most memorable, and brilliant. I know very few people who don't own AT LEAST one of them. How fitting that a film that was in many ways a victim of its own expectations had them raised to even more unreasonable levels when these teasers came out. I don't think any film could have lived up to them. Speaking of which:



Funny Games- If the actual film were as good as the poster, Michael Haneke would be preparing an Oscar acceptance speech right now. I liked the film a lot but wouldn't blame anyone who walked away from that film expecting more on the basis of this unsettling, terrifying image. On the other hand, you could reasonably argue that the movie was as uncomfortable and polarizing as the image. And look what they did with the credits. Forget about this being the best poster of the year, this should rank among the best of the decade.



THE WORST...

Changeling- Help!!! Angelina's going to eat me!



Seven Pounds- Who cares what its about? Will Smith's in it! I do appreciate that the studio going to great lengths to conceal the plot in trailers and commercials but unfortunately, that tactic doesn't play nearly as well in print. There is such a thing as too much restraint.

Body of Lies- Here's a movie whose poster somehow actually lives up to its lazy, generic direct-to-DVD title. Of all the posters on this list this is one that most make me want to flee any theater showing the film. It's like the designers gave up and said, "Well, the movie's gonna suck anyway." The others featuring Crowe and DiCaprio solo were even worse.



The Women- It takes a lot of work to make a group of reasonably talented and attractive actresses look this foolish and ugly in a poster. This features so much airbrushing it would make Maxim covers look like mug shots. And is that Annette Bening? I swear I couldn't even tell. It's also a cluttered, cut-and-paste mess. If the movie's as bad as this suggests I'm scared to death.

My Best Friend's Girl- You know it's bad when even Dane Cooke himself commented on his blog how embarrassing it is. Less a poster and more an ad for how to abuse Photoshop. Apparently, Kate Hudson now not only stars in bad movies, but bad posters as well. Her almost equally awful Fool's Gold poster just missed the list.



AND THE WEIRDEST...

Frost/Nixon- Homicidal maniac David Frost sets his sights on future Presidential candidate Bob Dole in this taut, psychological horror/thriller from 1985. Okay, not exactly, but can you blame me? I wasn't sure whether this belonged in the "best" or "worst" so I just put it here. If they were looking to recapture the time period during which the events of the film took place (even if they're a decade late) then this might be the most brilliant poster of the year. If not, then it's among the funniest I've ever seen. So either way, it's a win. The photo and style of print makes it look like one of those cheesy VHS covers from the 80's. And how about Langella's C. Montgomery Burns pose? Hopefully this will be the DVD cover art, or better yet, just release it on VHS! But what I really want to see is a film set in the 80's with this poster on someone's wall in the background. I might have to own this, except I worry after looking at it for a week the joke will get old. Taken on its own merits it's just a hilarious misrepresentation of the film but when you consider said film is one of the biggest, most serious Oscar contenders of the year then it suddenly seems a whole lot more ridiculous. Don’t know what they were thinking but I'm glad they did it.




Valkyrie- Ocean's 14...with Nazis!



BEST FAKE POSTERS (These Aren't Real But Should Be)
The Dark Knight Returns- If Nolan decides to go for one more sequel he could do a lot worse than looking to this poster for inspiration. It had me fooled. And better than a few of the best ones above.
(Source: Cinematical)



Wonder Woman- I never seriously entertained the idea that Megan Fox could be a viable candidate for the role...until seeing this. Now THAT'S a good Photoshop job.
(Source: www.wonder-who.com)