Burn After Reading
2008 · Movie · R · 96 min · ★ 6.7 · 71% critics
After a mysterious disc lands in the hands of two gym employees, they see a chance to cash in and fund a major personal makeover. Their clumsy attempt at blackmail spirals into a chaotic chain of misunderstandings, paranoia, and escalating trouble that pulls in everyone around them.
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Details
- Years
- 2008
- Release date
- 2008-09-05
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 71/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.7/10 (5,239 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a cynical, offbeat comedy of errors that pokes at spy-movie expectations and rewards paying attention; Not for you if you prefer straightforward laughs or tidy plots like The Big Lebowski.
Pros: dark, laugh-out-loud humor; memorable oddball characters; sharp ensemble performances | Cons: plot can feel confusing; jokes are subtle; ending feels abrupt
Themes
- washington dc, usa
- blackmail
- paranoia
- dark comedy
- black humor
- plastic surgery
- autobiography
- memory
- corpse
- divorce
- gym
- disc
- +6 more
Awards & recognition
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Cast & crew
George Clooney
as Harry Pfarrer
Frances McDormand
as Linda Litzke
Brad Pitt
as Chad Feldheimer
John Malkovich
as Osborne Cox
Tilda Swinton
as Katie Cox
Richard Jenkins
as Ted
Elizabeth Marvel
as Sandy Pfarrer
David Rasche
as CIA Officer
J.K. Simmons
as CIA Superior
Olek Krupa
as Krapotkin
Directed by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen