The Bottom Line
The Coen brothers love to make George Clooney look like an idiot and with Burn After Reading they even get Brad Pitt to join in the lunacy. While Burn After Reading can't hold a candle to the Coens' Fargo, it's still an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.
Pros
- George Clooney and Brad Pitt are hilarious
- But Frances McDormand steals this movie
Cons
- Buy/rent it for the movie itself - not the extra features
Description
- Starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, and John Malkovich
- Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
- Rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content, and violence
- DVD Release Date: December 21, 2008
Guide Review - 'Burn After Reading' DVD Review
The Story
Brad Pitt plays Chad, a trainer at popular gym who, along with fellow gym employee Linda (Frances McDormand), decides the best thing to do with an unlabeled disc containing secret information is to blackmail the man who lost it. That man just happens to be a former CIA agent who's just been unceremoniously fired and is off his rocker. And being that this is a goofy movie from Joel and Ethan Coen, nothing goes right and Chad and Linda end up in trouble with just about everyone they encounter - including the Russians.
The Bonus Features
There's really not much at all included on the Burn After Reading DVD so if you're going to check it out, prepare to be disappointed by the bonus material. It's pretty standard stuff, although there's always a few good laughs anytime George Clooney talks about working with the Coens. The three little extra features barely offer a peek behind the scenes. 'Finding the Burn: The Making of Burn After Reading' talks about the inspiration for the story and 'DC Insiders Run Amuck' is a glossy look at putting together the cast. The best of the lot is 'Welcome Back George' which, obviously, is all about Clooney's collaborations with the Coens.
