Black comedy movie of the year

MOVIE REVIEW

Burn After Reading

Certification: R

Cast: George Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, David Rasche, J K Simmons

Director: Joel Cohen, Ethan Cohen

Genre: Comedy, Drama

WITH an all-star cast delivering their best right from the get-go, viewers are all in for such a treat. The only problem is, this nature of black comedy isn't what the average movie-goers may appreciate and that is such a shame.

Anyone familiar with the work of brothers Joel and Ethan Cohen will know the kind of eccentricity, dry slapstick and cynicism that could potentially come with their name tags. After bagging the biggest wins on the Academy Awards for No Country For Old Men, the Cohen Brothers are back this year with another of their self-written projects.

As if having George Clooney, John Malkovich and Brad Pitt aren't enough in one movie; the brothers still manage to squeeze in the great talents of Tilda Swinton and Frances McDormand. And all of the characters come with their own personal quirks that are played to perfection by the actor.

The story starts with four different parts that comes together very shortly after, and it all begins with Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) getting canned at the CIA office in Washington DC, where he works as an analyst. It is then with unlimited time on his hand, he decides to write a memoir.

However, his uptight wife Katie Cox (Tilda Swinton) isn't convinced that he can and finds another reason to disapprove him while she goes on with her extramarital affair with Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), a sex addict who on the side finds companions through an online dating site while his children's-book-writer wife goes on book tours.

That is also how Harry meets Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand), a gym staff who is obsessed with getting liposuction because she is fixated on the idea that a perfect body will give her a perfect life. Sharing her enthusiasm is her colleague Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), a not-so-bright and fuzzy-headed gym trainer. And both of them are under the supervision of Ted Treffon (Richard Jenkins), who has no managerial control over them.

And when Chad and Linda stumble on a disc containing numbers and figures on a disc left behind at the female locker room, they immediately assume it is sensitive material from the CIA and decide to blackmail the supposed owner, Osbourne.

And from there, one misleading information after another and one misunderstanding after another, unimaginable chaos ensues while CIA officer (David Rasche) and his superior (J K Simmons) try to keep things under control and under wraps.

With such complexities in the script, the direction has to be able to catch up because it is so easy to lose the plot while focusing on the development of each wonderfully-written character. But the Cohen Brothers know exactly how to deliver the movie and deliver they did because at the end of the day, the audience know exactly what is going on with every scene.

As for the actors, without them, the movie would not have worked as well. All of the main cast deserve a nod at the Oscars. Especially John Malkovich portraying the loose-cannon and a drunk-in-denial is brilliant. Right from the beginning when he is accused of having a drinking problem, that shock on his face is just priceless and extremly funny.

Brad Pitt's loopy Chad has some great scenes as well with some unforgettable dance moves even though he is the one with the least screen time. Clooney, who stars for the third time in a Cohen Brothers film as an idiot, alongside McDormand who is an Oscar winner from a previous Cohen movie Fargo, feels right at home in their respective roles and are a joy to watch. And Swinton's bitchy Katie gives off intimidating and scary vibes that can cut right through the screen.

As erratic as the movie may get, the punch lines are never off target. And the best of them comes from the irresistible chemistry between Pitt and McDormand; as well as, and quite surprisingly to be honest, from Simmons and Rasche, as short-lived as their scenes may be.

"Report back to me when it makes sense," commands Simmons' character. And the next time we see Simmons, that's the start of the funniest scene in movies for 2008.

Reviewer's Rating: 8 / 10

The Brunei Times