MOVIE REVIEW: Burn After Reading

Like lukewarm soup...



Surprisingly, I didn't like this film as much as I thought I would.

The acting is superb however, with Brad Pitt and John Malkovich clearly stealing the show. George Clooney was good, but I don't really care for him as much as a "bad guy" which one could argue he was in this movie.

But aside from the acting, the story (though a great concept) just lags behind the performances of this all-star cast. I mainly blame this on part of the directing, as the pace of the film just seems to drag on incredibly S-L-O-W.

At times, I was thinking, okay, this is going to pick up sooner or later, but it just really doesn't. I think the previews make this film out to be a faster-paced flick than it really is...and a much funnier film at that.

I mean, sure there were clever lines here and there (and great dialogue too) but it wasn't nearly as funny as I thought it could be. Some of the scenes are actually quite sad.

So all in all, I guess I was anticipating a different film than what I received. Not a bad film, just not a great film like previous Coen brothers dark comedies such (i.e. "The Big Lebowski" and "Intolerable Cruelty").

It was kind of like eating lukewarm soup. You get the taste you were expecting, just not at the right temperature.
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