Rate this Movie 
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted: 162
Fresh: 126
Rotten:36
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Consensus: With Burn After Reading, the Coen Brothers have crafted another clever comedy/thriller with an outlandish plot and memorable characters.
Theatrical Release: Sep 12, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $51,678,103
Synopsis: With their overtly comedic follow-up BURN AFTER READING, the Coen Brothers return--about a third of the way--from the dark, dank recesses of the human psyche they traversed in their Oscar-winning NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. For those... [More]
Starring: George Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
The Coen Brothers should stop collaborating on comedies with George Clooney. None has worked, and none less so than this leaden spy game. At least Brad Pitt is the loosest he's cut in years, emerging as a potential go-to guy for future Coen comedies.
There is satire aplenty, comedy, relationships, and plain crazy fun as intelligence gathering characters (intelligence is relative here) come face to face (or something) with bumbling amateur blackmailers.
A dizzyingly enjoyable turn by the Coen Brothers that toys with espionage, adultery, blackmail and murder with a darkly comic edge, Burn Without Reading is a compelling combo of political thriller and sex farce.
A pleasant return to the silliness of the Coens' earlier pictures from the stiltedness of their latter-day offerings (No Country' excepted).
If you are a Coens fan you should like it. It's not as funny as THE BIG LEBOWSKI, but there's enough memorable moments and lines in it that will make you want to see it again.
A low-key comedy with a high-powered cast ... it's a bit too mannered, but it's also thoroughly hilarious
While the end of Burn After Reading dribbles away, we realize that we don't care very much about the characters and their futures.
... the Marx Brothers couldn't outrace the Coen boys when it comes to zany comic shenanigans.
The fact is the talented ensemble cast overshadows the bland, blackmail comedy noir, even though the film's trailer promises quirky fun.
The overall tone I like the filmmakers saying, 'Yeah, we did that. That just happened. You saw it. It's stupid but we don't care.' They just keep letting it roll from being innocently dirty at times to farcical and referential.
Pitt's the only person in Burn After Reading who consistently generates laughs - which, for a Coen brothers comedy, is an appalling batting average.
Burn After Reading is a disposable lark, and it's treated by the filmmakers as such; Forget After Seeing would be a far more honest title.
Even if the story behind Burn After Reading wasn't all that impressive, I'm sure the film would still stick in your mind because of the performances from its star-studded cast.
...ultimately fits quite comfortably within the Coen brothers' various comedic endeavors...
The Coens concoct brilliantly clever ways of intersecting the lives and stories of the characters during the course of this goofy, entertaining dark comedy.
Maestros of time and place, the Coen brothers orchestra a convergence of incompetence, bad decisions and all-around silliness.
... a fun ride down the roller coaster of the dark side of human nature as only the Coens can explore it.
A movie so full of senseless characters and actions that you 'forget after seeing'
September 22, 2008:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Jackson Debuts Ahead of the Race
Movies were serious business this weekend with drama, Lakeview Terrace, heading the box office hands down while comedies My Best Friend's Girl, Igor, and Ghost Town trail... More...
September 15, 2008:
Coen Brothers assemble A-list ensemble for latest screwball comedy. 
More...
September 15, 2008:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Coen Brothers Ring in a New Weekend at the Box Office
Joel and Ethan Coen scored the largest debut of their career and first-ever number one opening with the crime caper Burn After Reading. More...
September 11, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Pacino and De Niro Team Up For Action
Screen legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino reunite almost 13 years after Heat and share significant screen time together this time around in Righteous Kill which leads a pack... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Gross |
|---|---|---|
 43% |
Beverly Hills Chihuahua | $29.3M |
| 27% |
Eagle Eye | $17.7M |
 72% |
Nick and Norah's Infin… | $11.3M |
| 29% |
Nights in Rodanthe | $7.4M |
| 75% |
Appaloosa | $5.1M |
| 42% |
Lakeview Terrace | $4.6M |
| 78% |
Burn After Reading | $4.1M |
| 46% |
Fireproof | $4.0M |
| 13% |
An American Carol | $3.7M |
| 68% |
Religulous | $3.4M |
IGN.com |
GameSpy |
Comrade |
Arena |
FilePlanet |
ModCenter |
GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox |
Planets |
Vaults |
VE3D |
CheatsCodesGuides |
GameStats |
GamerMetrics
AskMen.com |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Direct2Drive
IGN RSS Feeds
Comment
