Like every spy story, “Burn After Reading” is convoluted. CIA analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) loses his job and decides to write his memoirs. His shrew of a wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton) accidentally copies his manuscript along with their financial information while secretly preparing to file for divorce. A copy of her files gets left in a gym locker room, where a couple of dim-witted gym employees, Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt) mistake it for actual intelligence data. Linda and Chad figure this stuff must be worth money to someone, and they proceed to try to cash in on their find. Meanwhile, Linda starts dating a married cad named Harry, (George Clooney), who also happens to be Katie's secret lover.
Each character in this black comedy is dumber than the last, and this confederacy of dunces circulate around each other, spinning towards a conclusion that, in Coen brothers tradition, is funny and violent. The thing is, “Burn After Reading” was just a little disappointing. For a Coen brothers movie, it just does not have a lot to it. It's funny, but not nearly as funny as “Fargo” or “The Big Lebowski.” It's a convoluted tale of lies and deceit, but coming from the guys who wrote “Miller's Crossing,” the twists and turns in this story feel pedestrian. The movie is reasonably entertaining and funny, but in the end, this is a massively-talented, A-list cast paired with a legendary writing/ directing duo for a story that just does not amount to much. It's like I ordered a big, juicy, Coen brothers cheeseburger and got served a vegan burger without a bun.
3 stars out of 5
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