Burn After Reading

I went to see Burn After Reading last night, it's that new Coen brothers' film. What I heard before I went to see it was that they wanted to do something light and silly after last year's No Country for Old Men (which is probably the only film that compares with Citizen Kane in greatness, but that's another story) and they did it. What I read after the film was a review that gave it a B+, which I think is pretty accurate.

It's not a film to watch if you want a mint plot, because the plot is pretty Coen-ish in that it's bizarre and doesn't conclude like the perfect American cinematic attraction, but that's what I like about their screenwriting and directing - it doesn't cater to people who are only in the theatre for brainless air conditioning. The characters are what really makes the film worth seeing - they all nail exactly who they need to be to interact to create the banter and hilarity (is that a word? I like the sound of it) of the film. It's sort of difficult to reccomend this one to a wide demographic; I'm completely unaware of who reads this blog (if anyone) so I can't really say "go see it!" if my youth kids are reading this (hey kids, I love you) because it's SO full of swearing. I don't really mind it because I've watched my fair share of Scorcese and Coen films, and in this one a lot of the time they twist the language to make the words themselves pretty funny.

So if you don't mind the language and you're the kind of person who watches films for characters more than plot, this is worth seeing in theatres. Brad Pitt knows how to pick a roll, Francis McDormand is so talented, and George Clooney just may be the last gentleman Hollywood movie star. The Coens have this knack for creating films with beautiful dark humour; Fargo was so dry and O Brother Where Art Thou was so lively, but Burn After Reading sits right in the middle, which I love.