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Average User Score: 7 (47 sources)

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V_Translanka

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Another **** crazy Coens experience. First honestly funny movie I think I've seen in a while too. What's cool is that it's a quasi-dark/light-hearted (I didn't even know you could have it both ways) comedy with great performances by the ensemble...
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Another **** crazy Coens experience. First honestly funny movie I think I've seen in a while too. What's cool is that it's a quasi-dark/light-hearted (I didn't even know you could have it both ways) comedy with great performances by the ensemble cast. Very weird, strange & cool sort of along similar lines as Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (minus the more actiony bits) with more American-based overtones.

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Posted aug 26, 2009 7:30 pm pt

therockstop

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This movie is a rare movie when it comes to my tastes. It is one of the few movies where I could find absolutely nothing I liked about it. I did not think it was funny at all. The storyline was absurd and the acting was average at best. I can say...
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This movie is a rare movie when it comes to my tastes. It is one of the few movies where I could find absolutely nothing I liked about it. I did not think it was funny at all. The storyline was absurd and the acting was average at best. I can say it will not be viewed a second time by me.

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Posted jan 18, 2009 4:51 am pt

goshwow

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Although it leaves you with nothing after it's done, Burn After Reading is entertaining while it lasts. It WILL make you laugh, and if you've got the stomach for the dark humour, then you will appreciate it. Again, there is no point to it, but...
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Although it leaves you with nothing after it's done, Burn After Reading is entertaining while it lasts. It WILL make you laugh, and if you've got the stomach for the dark humour, then you will appreciate it. Again, there is no point to it, but it's a solid movie nonetheless. Watch it.

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Posted nov 25, 2008 1:35 pm pt

efc91

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Burn After Reading is a very traditional Coen Brothers film...
A CIA agent decides to write his memoirs after being fired from the agency, is then launched into a world of political intrigue when his wife's divorce attorney steals the book...
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Burn After Reading is a very traditional Coen Brothers film...
A CIA agent decides to write his memoirs after being fired from the agency, is then launched into a world of political intrigue when his wife's divorce attorney steals the book and it ends up in the hands of a gym employee. Blackmail in aide of plastic surgery, national secrets, and a string of political assassinations follow.
For all you fans of the Coen Brothers films prior to No Country For Old Men (I'm not saying it was a bad movie, just saying it was very different to there previous films) your in for a real treat here. Burn After Reading is a very quick and entertaining film which will have you laughing your head off. The comedy in this movie is much more like Fargo and The Big Lebowski and there is also some strong violence like Fargo. One thing has to be said about this film, the cast is brilliant Brad Pitt steals the show as Chad a personal trainer at a local gym, he is so funny and brings a lot of the laughs to the movie, you'll see for yourselves when you watch it. George Clooney was also great in this film, I have noticed whenever George Clooney appears in a Coen Brothers film he is normally the dumb-ass so expect some laughs from good old George, oh and look out for his characters invention it's hilarious. John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton where all great too. The short appearance from J.K. Simmons was good but I thought the movie could have had his character appear in the film a bit more. Be warned the ending of the film is pretty sudden and will leave you wanting to know more, it's a lot like the ending in The Big Lebowski where your like I want to know if they won in bowling.
All in all Burn After Reading is well worth a trip to the movies to see it will leave you a bit confused but it is enjoyable and it will probably be one of the best movies of this autumn.
9 Out Of 10

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Posted oct 17, 2008 6:20 am pt

Media_Mind

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Good movie. Great cast and a nice mix of comedy and thriller! Worth watching.

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Posted oct 12, 2008 5:17 am pt

SuperMeteor

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This movie was great. It was funny, surprising, & really great overall. I was laughing when Brad Pitt got shot...oops, did I say that out loud? Sorry Brad fans. I also liked when Chad kept on asking who is this? LMAO!

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Posted sep 25, 2008 9:41 am pt

TheSwordDancer

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Over all, I greatly enjoyed this movie. It was a bit different then I expected and there were more surprises then I thought there'd be. I diffenitly recomend it. The beging is a little slow but is still comical in it's...over dullness, lol....
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Over all, I greatly enjoyed this movie. It was a bit different then I expected and there were more surprises then I thought there'd be. I diffenitly recomend it. The beging is a little slow but is still comical in it's...over dullness, lol. But the movie does pick up with both action and more humor. So diffenitly see this film, you won't regreat it.

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Posted sep 17, 2008 4:45 am pt

jeff_oh

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pretty good!!

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Posted sep 13, 2008 10:44 am pt

sjrlost

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I don't want to give anything away, but this film was funny and awasome nuff said. Perfect five stars

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Posted sep 12, 2008 6:37 am pt

• [+] Chicago Reader
  
  100
  After the portentous "No Country for Old Men," Joel and Ethan Coen return to their trademark brand of cruel, misanthropic farce, and for dark laughs and hurtling narrative momentum this spy caper is their best work since "Fargo."

  by J.R. Jones | Read Full Review »
• [+] Christian Science Monitor
  
  91
  This is the loopiest star vehicle in ages.

  by Peter Rainer | Read Full Review »
• [+] Film Threat
  
  90
  A roller coaster of emotions that will have you laughing one moment and gasping in shock the next.

  by Zack Haddad | Read Full Review »
• [+] Portland Oregonian
  
  83
  Nothing more and nothing less than a savvy and talented cast having its way with a clever, hilarious script, with absolutely no weighty issues at stake.

  by Marc Mohan | Read Full Review »
• [+] Los Angeles Times
  
  80
  Because it's a Coen brothers film before it's anything else, this is about as dark and nihilistic as comedies are allowed to get before the laughter dies bitterly on your lips.

  by Kenneth Turan | Read Full Review »
• [+] Newsweek
  
  80
  That's the paradox that makes this parade of folly so much fun: it feels as if everyone involved is having a high old time, and their enthusiasm is contagious.

  by David Ansen | Read Full Review »
• [+] Empire
  
  80
  If "No Country For Old Men" was vintage port, Burn After Reading is a shot of tequila: eye watering and hard to swallow, but the after-effect is terrific.

  by Ian Nathan | Read Full Review »
• [+] ReelViews
  
  75
  This is a thriller with a high quotient of comedic elements or, if you prefer, a comedy with a high quotient of thriller elements. As is always the case with a production of Joel & Ethan, it's difficult to classify, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

  by James Berardinelli | Read Full Review »
• [+] Philadelphia Inquirer
  
  75
  A goofy screwball romp that affords a gaggle of A-listers the chance to hambone around in antic style.

  by Steven Rea | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Sun-Times
  
  75
  The characters are zany, the plot coils upon itself with dizzy zeal, and the roles seem like a perfect fit for the actors -- yes, even Brad Pitt, as Chad, a gum-chewing, fuzzy-headed physical fitness instructor. I've always thought of him as a fine actor, but here he reveals a dimension that, shall I say, we haven't seen before.

  by Roger Ebert | Read Full Review »
• [+] Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  
  75
  One of the Coens' more playful projects, much lighter and significantly slighter than "No Country for Old Men" or "Fargo," but it's put together with such perfection that you can't help but be won over.

  by Sean Axmaker | Read Full Review »
• [+] Rolling Stone
  
  75
  It would be no country for movie lovers without the Coens. They still manage to run unmuzzled while the rest of Hollywood runs scared.

  by Peter Travers | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Onion (A.V. Club)
  
  75
  This feels like a second-shelf Coen comedy, particularly when compared to their no-less-shaggy "The Big Lebowski."

  by Keith Phipps | Read Full Review »
• [+] USA Today
  
  75
  It's consistently funny -- with witty dialogue and offbeat banter that stays in your head for days.

  by Claudia Puig | Read Full Review »
• [+] TV Guide
  
  75
  The brothers' dark, all-star farce about sex, lies and surveillance is pretty damned funny.

  by Maitland McDonagh | Read Full Review »