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Burn After Reading (2008)

7.0
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Ratings: 7.0/10 from 168,077 users   Metascore: 63/100
Reviews: 518 user | 321 critic | 37 from Metacritic.com

A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it.

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Title: Burn After Reading (2008)

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Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 13 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Ted
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CIA Superior (as JK Simmons)
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J.R. Horne ...
Divorce Lawyer (as JR Horne)
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Storyline

Osbourne Cox, a Balkan expert, is fired at the CIA, so he begins a memoir. His wife wants a divorce and expects her lover, Harry, a philandering State Department marshal, to leave his wife. A diskette falls out of a gym bag at a Georgetown fitness center. Two employees there try to turn it into cash: Linda, who wants money for elective surgery, and Chad, an amiable goof. Information on the disc leads them to Osbourne who rejects their sales pitch; then they visit the Russian embassy. To sweeten the pot, they decide they need more of Osbourne's secrets. Meanwhile, Linda's boss likes her, and Harry's wife leaves for a book tour. All roads lead to Osbourne's house. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

gym | cia | memoir | divorce | embassy | See more »

Taglines:

Intelligence is only their job. See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

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Country:

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Language:

Release Date:

12 September 2008 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Quémese después de leerse  »

Box Office

Budget:

$37,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£2,045,565 (UK) (17 October 2008)

Gross:

$60,338,891 (USA) (19 December 2008)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

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Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The Coen Brothers wrote the character Osborne Cox with John Malkovich in mind. Brad Pitt's character was also written with the actor in mind, inspired by a commercial for which he suffered a similar haircut and dye job. Indeed, the Coen Brothers noted at a Q&A session at the Venice Film Festival that all the leading characters were written for all the leading actors, with the exception of Tilda Swinton. See more »

Goofs

In the scene where Osbourne Cox receives his notice of insufficient funds, when he looks at the paper, it clearly says "We recently we received..." Clearly whoever typed up the paper was torn between using the word 'recently' or 'received', and, after deciding on one of them, forgot to remove the other. See more »

Quotes

Chad Feldheimer: [on the phone] Osbourne Cox? I thought you might be worried... about the security... of your shit.
See more »

Crazy Credits

A female attorney handled 'Serious Matters' See more »

Connections

References The Big Lebowski (1998) See more »

Soundtracks

"Old Nassau"
(1859)
Music by Karl A. Langlotz
Lyrics by Harlan Page Peck
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
An Intelligent. Quirky, Surreal Delight
17 October 2008 | by (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews

This film will not be to everyones taste, and I wholly understand the polarised responses.A star studded cast enjoy a knowing, wordy script, where dialogue counts, a Coen brothers trademark.However not very much happens, and the narrative is disjointed, so the pace of the story is very staccato.But once again the result is something very wide of the Hollywood mainstream and is all the more satisfying for it.

A 95 minute running time,, and several separate but interwoven plots, mean that screen time for individual actors is limited. Consequently each shines in their given roles, relishing the word play and eking the maximum out of each situation.No scene is dwelled upon, and the occasional bloody outburst of violence, or titillating appearance of a Sybian machine , is shown then moved on from before you have time to work out exactly what is going on.

The script is littered with double entendres, "running gags (pun intended)and lines aimed straight at the audience from the screen. No-one knows what is going on, or what has gone on, or what is going to happen, and is all the better for it.A mini-masterpiece.


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Recent Posts
What don't people like about this movie? blueirony
Is Osborne Cox the biggest a-hole in movie history? trivial_matt
Any other teenagers like this? billyfws
Why the hate? gene-clean
This Film's Place in The Coen Canon DavidLean
What was this movie about? apa-86
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