I like to think Burn After Reading came about when Joel and Ethan Coen fleetingly offered roles to those seated between their table and the podium when they went about collecting their multiple golden statues for No Country For Old Men at the 80th Academy Awards. How else would such a huge list of award winning cast and crew be assembled for just one film? By simply glancing at the films poster, which advertises the film solely by naming those involved, you’ll notice that most those asked obviously would have said ‘yes’. With such a huge amount of talent in front of the camera and behind the camera, it’s hard not to expect great things from this dark spy comedy. If No Country for Old Men was the main course, then Burn After Reading is the fondue dessert. As delicious as it may be at times, it’s unable to live up to the expectations set by the meal that preceded it.
After impertinently quitting his job as a CIA analyst after being demented for his drinking habits, Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) decides to write a memoir about his time at the Agency. With the loss of his job as the last straw, Osborune’s cold-hearted wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) is advised that she should collect together her husband’s financals before announcing her plans for a divorce. However, the CD with all her husband’s documents is accidentally left at a local gym, where trainers Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt) stumble across its content. Believing that the CD is filled with highly sensitive government information, the two opt to blackmail Osborune for a sum of money in return for the disk. When Osbourne isn’t willing to cooperate, the whole situation gets blown out of proportion when greed, lust, paranoia and chance get the better of those involved.
Almost integral to their films, the Coen brothers once again explore the notion of chance occurrences in Burn After Reading. By chance do Linda and Chad stumble upon the disk and by chance is the owner of the disk having an affair with Harry whom is in turn having an affair with Linda. It’s these chance occurrences that really add to the unpredictability and bizarreness of their screenplays, and it works just as well here at accentuating the comedy here as it did to further the drama in the brooding and bloody Fargo and No Country for Old Men. The fact that the Coen brothers can bounce from such a morose film like No Country to a more upbeat and fun comedy such as Burn After Reading just shows how confident and capable this directorial duo is.
The narrative itself is one that satires modernity; from modern bureaucracy, modern desires to the various social classes and activities that exist today. Sometimes the satire is subtle, such as whether it’s a PC or Mac CD, but more often than not the Coen’s go all out to expose the hilarity of modernity through bold characterisations and embellished scenarios. This becomes glaringly apparent when you consider that much of the events in the film are the result of Linda’s unyielding determination to get enough money to fund her plastic surgery. These comments on society, however overstated, often hit the funny bone thanks to the witty dialogue that compliments the bizarreness of each situation.
Although, the exaggerated nature of Burn After Reading is a double edged sword. To keep each scenario as vivacious and overstated as the script implies, the entire cast is made up of caricatures of stereotypical modern identities. There’s the personal trainer who is all body and no brains, the arrogant bureaucrat and his snobbish wife and the self conscious middle aged woman eager to settle down. The unfortunate result of this is that each character exits the narrative the exact same way they entered it; there is next to no character development. It’s obvious that this was the intention of the Coen’s, as they know better than anyone how to flesh out a character. However, here it feels as though they have gone too far in the other direction, as the one-dimensional characters prove incapable of supporting a feature film. Whilst the nature of these caricatures is initially fun to watch, you quickly tire of seeing their motives and methods remaining the same throughout the film. It’s hilarious at first to watch John Malkovich’s character profanely yell at those around him in every second sentence, but after he continues to do so in every single scene, it quickly loses its appeal. The cast can’t be held accountable, as each caricature is brought to life with great vigour and individuality. Of notable excellence is Brad Pitt’s characterisation of the dumb ‘dude’ Chad, which despite being completely over-the-top, remains joyous to watch on screen throughout. However, the remainder of the characters are written too one-dimensionally for my liking, growing tiresome to watch as the film reaches its conclusion.
Verdict:
With a cast and crew that would have you expecting Jesus Christ himself to be making a cameo appearance, Burn After Reading fails to live up to the high expectations involuntarily set by such reputable talent. That’s not to say the film is not without its achievements; the dialogue is witty, the narrative is comical and original and the performances are full of energy. However, the film hits its peak at the hour mark and thereafter struggles to draw enough substance from its characters to keep the remainder of the film engaging. It’s undoubtedly a good time at the movies, just not one that I anticipate will get the cast and crew a table at next year’s Oscars. But in all fairness, it never tries to.
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