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IMDbPro

Burn After Reading

  • 20082008
  • RR
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
329K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,143
3
Burn After Reading (2008)
Burn After Reading - Theatrical Trailer
Play trailer1:48
18 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Comedy
  • Crime
  • Drama
A disk containing mysterious information from a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous and daft gym employees who attempt to sell it.A disk containing mysterious information from a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous and daft gym employees who attempt to sell it.A disk containing mysterious information from a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous and daft gym employees who attempt to sell it.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
329K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,143
3
  • Directors
    • Ethan Coen
    • Joel Coen
  • Writers
    • Joel Coen
    • Ethan Coen
  • Stars
    • Brad Pitt
    • Frances McDormand
    • George Clooney
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Ethan Coen
    • Joel Coen
  • Writers
    • Joel Coen
    • Ethan Coen
  • Stars
    • Brad Pitt
    • Frances McDormand
    • George Clooney
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 682User reviews
    • 340Critic reviews
    • 63Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 BAFTA Awards
      • 8 wins & 32 nominations total

    Videos18

    Burn After Reading
    Trailer 1:48
    Burn After Reading
    Burn After Reading
    Trailer 0:33
    Burn After Reading
    A Guide to the Films of the Coen Brothers
    Clip 1:56
    A Guide to the Films of the Coen Brothers
    Burn After Reading
    Clip 0:53
    Burn After Reading
    Burn After Reading
    Clip 0:43
    Burn After Reading
    Burn After Reading
    Clip 0:36
    Burn After Reading
    Burn After Reading
    Clip 0:50
    Burn After Reading
    Burn After Reading
    Clip 0:36
    Burn After Reading
    Burn After Reading
    Clip 0:30
    Burn After Reading
    Burn After Reading
    Clip 0:38
    Burn After Reading
    Tilda Swinton in Burn After Reading
    Featurette 1:20
    Tilda Swinton in Burn After Reading
    Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading
    Featurette 1:49
    Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading

    Photos168

    Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading (2008)
    John Malkovich in Burn After Reading (2008)
    Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading (2008)
    John Malkovich in Burn After Reading (2008)
    Frances McDormand and Jeffrey DeMunn in Burn After Reading (2008)
    Tilda Swinton in Burn After Reading (2008)
    George Clooney and Frances McDormand in Burn After Reading (2008)
    George Clooney and Frances McDormand in Burn After Reading (2008)
    George Clooney and Tilda Swinton in Burn After Reading (2008)
    Ethan Coen and Joel Coen in Burn After Reading (2008)
    Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading (2008)
    Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand in Burn After Reading (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Brad Pitt
    Brad Pitt
    • Chad Feldheimer
    Frances McDormand
    Frances McDormand
    • Linda Litzke
    George Clooney
    George Clooney
    • Harry Pfarrer
    John Malkovich
    John Malkovich
    • Osborne Cox
    Tilda Swinton
    Tilda Swinton
    • Katie Cox
    Richard Jenkins
    Richard Jenkins
    • Ted
    Elizabeth Marvel
    Elizabeth Marvel
    • Sandy Pfarrer
    David Rasche
    David Rasche
    • CIA Officer Palmer DeBakey Smith
    J.K. Simmons
    J.K. Simmons
    • CIA Superior
    • (as JK Simmons)
    Olek Krupa
    Olek Krupa
    • Krapotkin
    Michael Countryman
    Michael Countryman
    • Alan
    Kevin Sussman
    Kevin Sussman
    • Tuchman Marsh Man
    J.R. Horne
    • Divorce Lawyer
    • (as JR Horne)
    Hamilton Clancy
    • Peck
    Armand Schultz
    Armand Schultz
    • Olson
    Pun Bandhu
    • Party Guest
    Karla Mosley
    Karla Mosley
    • Party Guest
    Jeffrey DeMunn
    Jeffrey DeMunn
    • Cosmetic Surgeon
    • Directors
      • Ethan Coen
      • Joel Coen
    • Writers
      • Joel Coen
      • Ethan Coen
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The Coen brothers (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen) said they wrote the screenplay for this film while writing the screenplay for No Country for Old Men (2007). They would usually alternate every other day for each script.
    • Goofs
      The CIA Supervisor states that Venezuela does not have an extradition treaty with the US. Venezuela has had a bilateral extradition treaty with the US since 1923.
    • Quotes

      Osbourne Cox: I have a drinking problem? Fuck you, Peck, you're a Mormon. Compared to you we ALL have a drinking problem!

    • Crazy credits
      As usual, the Coen Brothers edited this film under the pseudonym Roderick Jaynes
    • Connections
      Featured in De wereld draait door: Episode #4.10 (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      My Eyes Adored You
      Written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan

      Sung by George Clooney

    User reviews682

    Review
    Top review
    More "Big Lebowski" Than "Intolerable Cruelty" -- thankfully
    BURN AFTER READING is laugh-out-loud funny. It's more "Big Lebowski" than "Intolerable Cruelty," though there are wisps of both, but "Burn" is not quite up to Lebowski's genius. Still, it is very, very funny and loads of fun.

    From the opening moments, the Coens' latest movie -- a spy-thriller spoof -- hurls the viewer on a hilarious romp through Absurd-land. What better place to set such a story than Washington, DC?

    The story involves a demoted government worker (John Malkovich) who finds himself the target of an extortion scheme by two gym workers, riotously played by Frances McDormand (a would-be gym bunny if only she could afford some plastic surgery) and Brad Pitt (a high-energy, arm-thrusting, hip-shaking fitness trainer-cum-"good Samaritan" who lands himself way in over his head). The romp soon turns dark.

    As usual, the Coens' dialog is a real treat. When a co-worker points to Malkovich's alcohol problems as a reason for his demotion, Malkovich retorts, "You're a Mormon. Next to you we all have a drinking problem." And as usual in Coen-land, there's a clash between high and low brow. Malkovich's pronunciations of "mem-wahhh" for "memoir" is a hoot, and his correction of Pitt's mistaken "report" for "rapport" propels a conflict between classes and types -- symbols of a society in trouble, whose priorities are askew.

    As in the Coen brothers' 1987 box-office hit RAISING ARIZONA, obsessions fuel the plot, though this time it's body (not baby) obsession. McDormand is hellbent on getting expensive elective surgery to "reinvent" herself. Pitt is a workout addict, who can barely stop moving long enough to think straight. And George Clooney, who can only stop talking when it's time to go running or jump into bed with someone, plays a G-man fixated on sex. Notions of "intelligence" and all that the word connotes (along with its antonyms) mix into the film's dark comedic brew of unintended consequences.

    Where does it go? I don't want to give away any of the twists to answer that question in depth. But I would disagree with the critics who claim it doesn't go anywhere. The movie and its over-the-top, needless violence show how secretive missions even by bumbling know-nothings (whose only knowledge of undercover ops seems to come from spy flicks) can have disastrous outcomes. Secrets in Washington? Sure sounds like a topic we should all be better versed in.

    • Erica Rowell Author: The Brothers Grim: The Films of Ethan and Joel Coen http://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Grim-Films-Ethan-Joel/dp/0810858509
    helpful•172
    128
    • erica-224
    • Sep 10, 2008

    FAQ5

    • Is "Burn After Reading" based on a book?
    • Were Osborne Cox's memoirs on the disc?
    • What are the songs from the trailer?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 12, 2008 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • France
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Quémese después de leerse
    • Filming locations
      • Bronx Community College - University Avenue at West 181 Street, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Focus Features
      • StudioCanal
      • Relativity Media
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $37,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $60,355,347
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $19,128,001
      • Sep 14, 2008
    • Gross worldwide
      • $163,728,902
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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