Burn After Reading
Burn After Reading is the latest production from last years Oscar winning Coen brothers and it looks like they’re going for gold again. A big slice of Hollywood’s A-list got to sink their acting chops into some very beefy roles. John Malkovich is Osborne Cox, A Langley researcher for the CIA with a short fuse and a five thousand word vocabulary that diminishes to a select group involving four letters when he’s ticked off. Katie (Tilda Swinton) his MD wife has a nasty bedside manner except when bedding Harry Pfarrer (Michael Clayton co star George Clooney as far from suave as he can get). Harry is a low clearance security operative with a long list of female internet conquests although married to an author of kid’s books. Across town at a franchise fitness centre Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) in a full on mid life panic is also looking for love online while dreaming of a tummy tuck along with a litany of other unaffordable cosmetic surgery not covered by her HMO. Brad Pitt plays Linda’s best friend Chad Feldheimer, an asexual fitness trainer. Ted Treffon (Richard Jenkins) is Linda’s boss who would like to be more than just a friend but can’t seem to make the connection. When Osborne gets fired it sets a chain of events in motion predicated on the motivation of each of the characters. Once that happens a CIA Honcho (J.K. Simmons as usual making a small part much bigger than it is) becomes a calming presence as he makes the body count disappear. Burn After Reading would suggest cloak and dagger but what we get is marvellous disconnected clucks and stragglers who fit together seamlessly.