wicket_’s review published on Letterboxd:
Wow. What a pleasant surprise.
This is a film that I thought would be a 6. Maybe a 7. Possibly an 8. But jesus, it's a near 10! With Burn After Reading, the Coens do not disappoint, delivering a hilarious and memorable thriller. Seriously, this film is funny. There were scenes where I literally had to pause the film to take a breather, cause I was laughing so hard.
This film is quite similar to various other Coen brother films such as Fargo (1996) and Blood Simple (1984), where characters find themselves in a gritty and violent mess after a few missteps. This honestly doesn't bother me; though the story structure and core is similar, the events are actually quite different. The story is littered with hilarious characters, that are caricatured, yet not to the point where they feel fake. This is something the Coens do well in their comedies. They create these very memorable people that almost, just ALMOST, feel like cartoon characters, yet have just enough depth they feel realistic. These characters are excellent in comedy thrillers. Why? They create humor that feels ridiculous, yet also, strangely enough, real. This mix works incredibly well.
While the jokes are well set up, a good portion of the laughs are due to the outstanding acting. Like various other Coen Brother films (Fargo, The Big Lebowski [1999], No Country For Old Men [2007]) each role feels perfectly cast. Brad Pitt is hilarious as Chad. John Malkovich is equally great and funny as the character of Osbourne. There's a scene where these characters interact which is one of the funniest scenes in the movies I have ever had the pleasure of watching. The rest of the cast - Frances McDormand, George Clooney, Tilda Swanton - all fit their roles incredibly well, delivering strong performances that heighten the comedy and jokes to another level completely.
And I love that ending. Won't say it, but it perfectly represents our society today. Crazy stuff happens. Illogical stuff. Does it mean anything? No. Can you learn any lessons from it? No! This film just straight up says that.
My only complaint? Tilda Swantons character feels kind of... out of all the conflict. All the other characters are intertwined, while Tilda Swanton is just kind of on the side of it all. Wish she was more involved. Other then that, fantastic Coen brothers film.
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