Burn After Reading

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Burn After Reading

R

2008

1h 35m

Comedy

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

241 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

When a disc containing memoirs of a former CIA analyst (John Malkovich) falls into the hands of Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) and Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), the two gym employees see a chance to make enough money for her to have life-changing cosmetic surgery. Predictably, events whirl out of control for the duo of doofuses and those in their orbit.

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Critics Consensus

With Burn After Reading, the Coen Brothers have crafted another clever comedy/thriller with an outlandish plot and memorable characters.

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Shubhra Gupta

The Indian Express

04/29/2019

Burn After Reading is a comedy that makes fun of almost everything, reminding you that almost none of it is laughing matter.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

08/23/2018

Although there are a couple of vaguely amusing moments, it fails as a comedy because it just isn't funny, and it fails as a thriller because it just isn't suspenseful and it fails as entertainment of any kind because it is all so ludicrously improbable.

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Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

10/29/2008

C+

It's morbidly absurdist, thoroughly pointless, and can certainly be funny at times.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

09/05/2023

3.5/4

In setting up a spy thriller that, given the idiocy of its characters, just-so-happens to proceed like a comedy, the Coens’ best humorist qualities emerge after years of slumber, now well-rested and ready to play.

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James Croot

The Post NZ

04/28/2021

4/5

The Coen Brothers [return] to their comedic-crime roots... with engaging and ebullient results.

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

01/31/2021

2.5/5

I know I am about to commit film critic heresy, but I found the film's overly clever story left me cold.

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Ryan D

@ryandizz 2d

Pretty entertaining and a good story

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Landon J

@Minxsykitty 2d

Just alright. Some strong moments, but ends far too suddenly. Malkovitch is really the meat and potatoes here.

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Sean C.

@SeanMCollinsRMN May 31

Fun and very much in the corn brothers style.

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Jason H

@RT50328122 May 22

My favorite Coen Bros. movie. It's hilarious.

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Tony B.

@tone68 May 9

Intentionally dumb and pointless. And not funny.

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Ben W

@Username618 Mar 21

So. The Coen bros were my favourites growing up- swear by. I then... had to account for myself. Couldn't. Swear at. If I'm being serious, and it's a difficult thought to express... I view their work less as a completed work, more as their telling us how they've been doing, suffused with what they've been reading; aaaand. I just find the contempt a bit stifling, sorry. Oeuvre. Making crime novels into film- Dashiell Hammet (Glass Key/ Miller's Crossing), Raymond Chandler (Long Goodbye/Big Lebowski), James M Cain (Postman always.../Man who was not...) , ... Fargo, Blood Simple. Making novels ?- True Grit; No Country for Old Men. Inside Llelwyn Davis, O Brother. A serious man. Barton Fink. Trying to be funny / screwball ? comedy- and just about succeeding; Hudsucker Proxy , Raising Arizona. And failing miserably: The Ladykillers, Intolerable Cruelty, Burn After Reading.

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Joel Coen

Director

Ethan Coen

Director

George Clooney

Harry Pfarrer

Frances McDormand

Linda Litzke

John Malkovich

Osborne Cox

Tilda Swinton

Katie Cox

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Synopsis

When a disc containing memoirs of a former CIA analyst (John Malkovich) falls into the hands of Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) and Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), the two gym employees see a chance to make enough money for her to have life-changing cosmetic surgery. Predictably, events whirl out of control for the duo of doofuses and those in their orbit.

Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Producer: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Screenwriter: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Relativity Media, StudioCanal, Working Title Films, Focus Features
Rating: R (Some Sexual Content|Pervasive Language|Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 12, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $60.3M
Runtime: 1h 35m