Search - Burn After Reading on DVD

Richard Jenkins - Ted Treffon
Elizabeth Marvel - Sandy Pfarrer
David Rasche - CIA Officer
J.K. Simmons - CIA Superior
Jeffrey DeMunn - Cosmetic Surgeon
Michael Countryman - Alan
Hamilton Clancy - Peck
Pun Bandhu - Party Guest
Armand Schultz - Olson
Kevin Sussman - Tuchman Marsh Man
J.R. Horne - Divorce Lawyer
Richard Poe - Stretching Gym Patron
Dermot Mulroney - Star of 'Coming Up Daisy'
Olek Krupa - Krapotkin
Karla Mosley - Party Guest

This is certainly not the Coen's best effort, but I thought it was very funny. In my opinion, if you didn't think it was funny, you just don't get the Coens. Brad Pitt is especially good.

I bought this movie, because I like the actors and I thought it would be funny ... the story line at least seemed to indicate that: A dimwit gym trainer finds a CD left behind in a locker, looks at it, decides it contains government secrets and, together with the equally dimwitted gym clerk tries to sell it to the Russians. OK so far. They should have stopped with the story line right here - done well, this would have been enough ... BUT ...

The Russians don't want it, because it contains only the memoirs of the agent (let's call him A), whose wife is planning to divorce him. She has an affair with another agent (let's call him B), who serially dates women he meets via personal ads, cheating on HIS wife. SHE, in turn, cheats on him as well. Ugh. One of the women B dates is the clerk from the gym.

Since they cannot sell the CD to the Russians, the gym trainer and clerk now try to sell it back to A. So the gym trainer surveils A's property, witnessing A's wife plus agent B. Agent A also surveils his wife. Plus there is the surveillance of B by a PI firm hired by B's wife. ... Yes, the story is very convoluted. It's not even funny. The characters act stupidly for no reason. People get killed, and in the end only the clerk gets what she wants (plastic surgery).

Yecch, and there's the GIFT agent B constructs for his wife ... Plus the constant use of "shit" and "fuck" in every other sentence is a big turn-off.

It's mystifying why these actors consented to make this movie. It's bad. I agree with other reviewers who said that it should be called "Burn before viewing".

great movie! you have to like the Cohen bro's to appreciate it. Dis toward government officials. Brad Pitt, George Cloony, Francis McDormant, and character actors are excellent!

I think they should have called it

BURN AFTER WATCHING

Ok- so you have to really be into the movie to get it. Don't blink, cough or, for heaven's sake, sneeze cause you might miss some hugely tiny detail that makes the whole movie click. I wouldn't call it a comedy. But I would say that it cracked me up at the end, especially when the director asked "What did we learn from this?"

You'll love it and it will totally be worth the time you invest to watch it. I thought they did such a great casting job - although they were all big names and known for different kinds of roles, it was spectacular to see Brad and George in such different personas! Enjoy, I give it 4 stars!!

Friggin terrible...just bloody aweful! Packaged as a dark comedy, there was nothing funny about this movie. Painful to sit through...and with such an incredible cast, what a complete dissapointment. I usually like Coen Bro's movies, but this one sucked. Don't waste you time.

Enjoyable black comedy about a couple of misfits (Pitt and McDormand) who mess with the wrong people. Clooney is hysterical as a slightly insecure, middle-aged man who gets caught up in the mess. JK Simmons is great as the bored, detached CIA boss who wants the mess to go away. Malkovich kind of steals the show, though, as an enraged G-Man getting unfairly @#$%ed by everyone.

If you liked Fargo you may like this.
Take 4 stories that are weak and pointless and try to make a movie out of them.
Actualy I found George Clooneys character interesting. A man so crazy and confused, with moments of being normal. A totaly clueless husband trying to start a new relationship without letting go of the one he's in. So naturaly he turns to the personal ads. That could make a good movie but it's under explored. And does anyone else think he looks like Bluto from Popey? The fake Hobo beard thing was distracting.
The "gift" is the suprize that makes this an interesting movie.
Brad Pitt: I thought he was buff, now whimpy...
John Malkovich; Con Air was so much better
Frances McDormand; ANYTHING I have seen with her in it (not that I know of many) so far has been horrible and confusing to me....I allways feel like she only sayes half her lines then smiles; like I should understand what she is trying to say.
The FBI guys...is this really what the movie is about? 2 hours to say you FBI guys don't know whats going on.
For me this is entertainment at some of it's worst. Should be called "Burn Before Viewing"
Lucky for me I saw it on HBO and didn't have to spend any credits on it.

The story did make sense and I watched the whole thing. It was greatly lacking in so many ways. Something was missing, Many things were unexpected, Brad Pitt was great. I agree they just swore in place of real dialogue. I will not be keeping this one. George Clooney was actually unattractive in parts. I wonder though how the GIFT might really work, could be painful. I hated the ending, I liked so many of the characters and wanted a better ending for them.

It seems like they were trying to do "Fargo" in DC. I love the Coen brothers and was very disappointed. It wasn't to there usual level of cleverness.

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