Review of Burn After Reading (2008) by Kevin P — 15 Mar 2018

Strengths: The most appealing thing about this film is watching some of the most talented actors around as some very zany characters. Brad Pitt (Chad) looked like he was having a blast and made me laugh several times. George Clooney (Harry) and Frances McDormand (Linda) were both game for their comedic roles. It's a strange movie that doesn't shy away from that fact and embraces it. I mean, there's literally a scene involving a dildo chair. There were also some fun plot twists and surprising, with the most shocking moment coming between Clooney and Pitt in a memorable scene. There's also a pretty funny way for Linda's storyline to wrap up that I got a kick out of.

Weaknesses: As good as the three actors mentioned above were, some of the others left me feeling disappointed. I didn't much for the scenes involving John Malkovich (Osbourne), unless it was with Pitt. The same goes for Tilda Swinton (Katie). The first act of the film is too slow paced to fully work. It's necessary to establish all the characters, but by the time they all come together to interact, it feels like you've been watching the movie for a long time. It also doesn't feel like many characters grow or learn anything. I know they made a joke about it at the end, but that doesn't change the fact that it hurts the characters.

Overall: There's a fair amount to like about this movie. It's witty and features great actors in outlandish roles. That alone is enough to make it worth a watch. The first half can be rough, but if you make it through that, the second half is rewarding enough to make this work.