Pitt steals the laughs

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Oct 17, 2008

BURN AFTER READING

(15, 95 mins) Comedy/Romance. George Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins.

Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen.

*****

AFTER the agonising tension and brutality of their Oscar-winning opus No Country For Old Men, writerdirectors Joel and Ethan Coen return to comedic territory with this pithy tale of espionage and infidelity.

Burn After Reading is not classic Coen brothers fare, but there are enough flashes of brilliance to keep us smirking for almost the entire 95 minutes.

A large proportion of those laughs are reserved for Brad Pitt, who slicks up his hair and gamely throws himself into the role of a dimwitted gym employee.

Whether he is dancing goofily to music on his music player or attempting to conceal his identity by adopting a ridiculous raspy voice, we cannot help but chuckle at his misadventures.

The double-act with Frances McDormand's cosmetic surgery-obsessed spinster is a joy to behold, like when they vet her potential suitors on a dating website.

"Does he look like he would have a sense of humour?" she ponders.

"His optometrist has a sense of humour," replies Pitt, consigning that particular respondent to the recycle bin.

The coup de grace is a genius invention, hidden from prying eyes in a cellar, which will be the envy of every frustrated housewife.

Former CIA agent Osbourne Cox (Malkovich) pens his memoirs, but an electronic copy inadvertently ends up in the possession of gym employee Chad Feldheimer (Pitt) and co-worker Linda Litzke (McDormand).

She desperately needs cash to enhance her drooping attributes, so Chad and Linda explore the possibility of blackmailing Osbourne.

"This could put a big dent in my surgeries," remarks Linda dreamily.

Unfortunately, the former agent refuses to pay the ransom, so Chad and Linda head to the Russian embassy, intent on selling Osbourne's secrets to the enemy.

Meanwhile, Osbourne's hard hardnosed wife Katie (Swinton) is engaged in an extra-marital affair with serial womaniser Harry Pfarrer (Clooney), who has also begun dating lonely Linda.

Unbeknown to them all, the CIA is watching every move, determined to find out who is leaking top-secret information to the Russians.

Burn After Reading is peppered with colourful characters. Malkovich relishes his role as a hard-drinking curmudgeon who cannot believe the incompetence of his blackmailers. Clooney essays another charming oddball, while McDormand brings a touching vulnerability to her opportunist.

SWEARING; SEX; VIOLENCE

CAPTION(S):

COMIC - Left, George Clooney, below Brad Pitt and Frances McDor mand