Burn After Reading
After their Oscar winning triumph, No Country For Old Men, the Coen brothers come back with a dark comedy, their bread and butter. Some will note that the overtones of the movie resemble Fargo in its pitch black humor of money, murder and mayhem. Of course, you wouldn’t know with the ridiculous ad campaign on tv. It’s not a comedy, but a thriller with very light comedic touches.
What some would also note is how closely it also resembles one of their worst works, The Ladykillers. The archly dark comedy is there and the laughs seem forced from the setup to the letdown. It’s not a comedy, but a thriller with hamminess that’ll raise you cholesterol level.
It is mainly about money, and how that affects everyone. The lack of it drives two of the sillier protagonists. Having too much seems to be the wife’s and Clooney’s excuse for sack diving. John Malkovich is uptight because of being a rich, white guy of the intel branch. And every one is paranoid and acting wrong on misinformation.
I did not like it one bit. Because it reminded me too much of their later earnest comedies, The Ladykillers, especially. I was hoping for their early slapstick: Raising Arizona or Hudsucker Proxy. They’ve really evolved and matured. Now if I can get to understanding them again I’d be happier watching them in the theatre.
2 of 5 stars.
