Why so much hype?

The acting in this movie is really good.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The Coen Brothers wrote, produced and directed this gem. If you know these 2 brothers you wouldnt be reading these reviews, because the Coen Brothers are the pinnacle of genius of independent american cinema. Everything they make is worth watching and "Burn after Reading" is one of my most favorite comedies of their makings. Not suited for the popcornloving masses who want simple straight comedies. Entirely suited and strongly recommended for anyone else!The story is about Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand who are working at a gym and discover a disc which they presume belongs to an intelligence agency. Because Frances McDormand is desperately in need for money for plastic surgery, together with Brad Pitt, they decide to extort an Cia agent for money in return for the disc with intelligence secrets. The Cia guy is played by John Malkovich in a truly hilarious roles. All roles are hilarious by the way. This is acting heaven! Alongside this already hilarious story there is a second storyline interwoven in which George Clooney has an affair which in an almost surreal and hilarious way becomes another clusterf*g at the Cia. The screenplay for this film was featured in the 2007 list of the 'most liked' scripts of the year. It 's a story to die for, pure genius.As always a great thumping soundtrack by Carter Burwell. Beautiful photography and editing. Everything is perfect. How couldnt it have been, because it 's the Coen Brothers!

Brat Pitt died too early, he was the most likable character

Mrs. Shullivan and I saw this movie when it was first released ten years ago. In fact we sat through the film twice because we were 10 minutes late and missed the beginning and boy were we glad we stayed and watched it a second time. This comedy/crime/suspense film is such a classic with the comedy style presented by both Brad Pitt and his buddy George Clooney. This is another Cohen brother film release so one does know what to expect (somewhat) with the Cohen brothers. The Cohen brothers usually move a picture along at a rapid pace with a gifted and creative storyline as well as with great music score and this film fits their method of operating to a tee. Brad Pitt plays a not too bright health club instructor named Chad Feldheimer who along with his somewhat brighter peer fitness instructor Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) recover a disc that holds some pretty important information that certain bad guys want back.So Chad and Linda figure they can maybe receive a kind of reward for the return of the disc to the (not so) rightful owner. When Chad and Linda get in touch with the foul mouthed alcoholic and retired CIA agent Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) I thought we were watching another sequel to the 1994 Dumb and Dumber films. Add to the mix Osborne Cox's wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) wanting a divorce from her husband so that she can move on to her current lover Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney) and you have in this comedic mixing bowl enough nuts and bolts to blow the roof off of any comparable perfect comedy/crime caper.We have watched this film several times now and we will be watching it a few more times whenever we want a good laugh. I give the film a perfect 10 for 10 rating.

Burn After Reading is a dark comedy directed by Joel Coen and his brother Ethan Coen. Burn After Reading has a score of 66 on Metacritic, 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a three out of four by Roger Ebert. The idea that the Coens are trying to convey is how plans can go incredibly wrong. One example is when one of the protagonists, Osborne Cox, plans to write a memoir of his time in the CIA. This plan, however, goes astray and ends with Cox being put into a coma. Another example of plans going awry in Burn After Reading was when Chad Feldheimer plans to "give" Cox's memoir back for a sum of money. His plan also goes horribly wrong, and Feldheimer is shot in the head. The plot of Burn After Reading is confusing; it is often interrupted by the comedic element of the movie. Linda Litzke is a protagonist, and her dates are often made fun of as a joke. This becomes confusing when Litzke goes on a date that is important to the plot. This scene, however, is easily ignored because we expect her date to be a joke. This makes the rest of the plot after this scene confusing because it isn't made clear that the date isn't a joke. The plot is also confusing because the acting appeared forced and characters had no motivation for their actions. One example is when Feldheimer tracks down Cox it is for no purpose except to advance the plot. Even with its flaws, Burn After Reading has marvelous cinematography; its camera cuts are perfectly timed and precise. One scene that displays the quality of the cinematography is the opening shot. The camera lowers from the sky into a building and seamlessly cuts into Cox walking down the hall as if it is all a single shot. I give Burn After Reading five out of ten stars because, despite the excellent cinematography, the plot is confusing and is advanced by actions that made no sense. Burn After Reading is a complex but confusing movie that I suggest you not watch.