Jim's "Go or Don't Go" - Burn After Reading

Burn After Reading is one of those strange movies with an equally strange title that doesn't give you much indication of what the movie is about. Not that it could, nor will I attempt to explain too much about this film. You just had to be there I guess.

The film is the latest effort by the Coen brothers. They have made a long list of very interesting and critically acclaimed movies. I have to say that I'm not very familiar with most of their work, but one of my favorite films, O Brother Where Art Thou (I say "Go" BTW), is a Coen creation.

The plot in a nutshell - A fitness instructor's (Frances McDormand) insecure desire for plastic surgery sets off an international "intelligence" (I'm using this term lightly) crisis. The genius of the film is that every single character is pretty much an idiot, but thinks that they are brilliant. As with their other movies, Burn After Reading is filled with a well-developed and quirky cast of characters. Although the plot is somewhat complicated and their are quite a few cast members, I found it easy to follow and humorous throughout. It is a dark comedy, however, and there are a couple of pretty violent scenes. I don't think that I've ever watched a man being attacked with a hatchet and then found myself laughing one second later, but this film managed to to do that for me. Again, you just had to be there.

As for the cast, it's star-studded. George Clooney, John Malkovich and Brad Pitt are just a few of the fine actors that get wrapped up in the bumbling intrigue. Pitt steals the show as Chad, an empty-headed fitness instructor.

FAIR WARNING: If you have an issue with profanity, this may not be your film. Having said that, I did enjoy this movie and sat back and enjoyed wondering how all of these characters we're going to "resolve" their absurd situations. I say"Go."