The Coen brothers have won four Academy awards with their ability to concoct plots that blur genres while captivating movie goers with twists and a knack for suspense and drama. The fact that they cast Oscar caliber actors doesn't hurt either.
Their new film Burn After reading follows the desires of a middle aged woman, Linda Litske (Frances McDormand), who believes that plastic surgery will save her from a solitary life of working full time at a gym. After finding a an abandoned CD in the locker room, she and her airhead co-worker Chad interpret the memoirs of a recently fired and embittered CIA analyst Osbourne Cox, as super confidential intelligence that leads them to embark on a scheme to blackmail the money out of the unsuspecting Cox with the end goal of getting enough money to pay for Linda's cosmetic operations. What starts out as the simple hope of receiving a reward for the information turns into an all out war between the wonderfully explosive alcoholic John Malkovich, as Osbourne Cox and a fearless Frances McDormand as the no longer pathtic, self-important Linda Litske. The plan runs amuck as it ropes in the people around them, including Osbourne's unfaithful wife and her lover (as well as Linda's lover) , the lady hungry chain wearing Harry Pfarrer, played uncannily well by George Clooney. The characters' wants and actions clash to weave a web so complex even the CIA can't seem to untangle exactly what is going on.
This ninety-six minute comedy had me laughing from the very beginning and left me wide-eyed in disbelief at the absurdity of the end. A fun, bumpy ride and another win for the Coen brothers.
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