This was an odd film--and I don't mean this in a favorable way. That's because unlike most Coen Brothers movies I have seen, I felt almost nothing favorable towards any of the characters and it all just seemed very detached and, at times, uninteresting. While I can respect the intricacy of the plot and the good acting, I just felt like I could not have cared less about the movie and could have just as easily turned it off and not finish it. In fact, had it not been a Coen Brothers film, I probably would have done just that. Fortunately, the movie did get a little better towards the end, but not enough to make the time I invested in it worth the payoff.

The biggest problem is that the film didn't seem to know whether it was meant to be a comedy or a drama. And, if it was meant to be a comedy, the very graphic killings later in the film weren't the funny FARGO type but just violent. This much violence and cursing kill the comedy, though I still am not sure that it was meant to be a comedy...even on a dark level.

The other problem is that no one in the film is particularly nice or even that interesting. In fact, it's almost as if the film is trying to say that everyone is bad and it's all very meaningless. Perhaps, but I just found this made the film a hard one to relate to or care about, even if the acting was generally good.

"Blah"--a word I never would have thought I'd apply to a Coen Brothers film. I've seen all their films and I must say this is the first one that was blah among them. Even their failures are very good and challenging...this one was just blah.

In the tradition of Fargo, the Coen Brothers have come up with an ironic comedy which plays havoc wit our national security and shows how paranoid folks get about it. There's also an 'on the other hand' in this film where it could be argued that a bit of paranoia is healthy every now and then.

John Malkovich is an employee at the CIA whom his employers would like to ease out of his job. But Malkovich who drinks a lot won't take any hints. It's put to him bluntly to get out and he does. But he also dictates a memoir on a computer disc.

Said memoir is found at a gym Malkovich goes to by employees Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt. Not being the brightest two around they decide this might be worth some big bucks to somebody. Even the Russians.

My mind goes back to the Cold War days when such a film could never have been made. Apparently the concept of treason is not factored in anyone's thinking. Including married bureaucrat George Clooney who is kanoodling with Tilda Swinton who is married to Malkovich. Loyalty and fidelity are out the window too. Clooney finds out about the memoir and decides to also exploit the situation. He's being watched, but for his extramarital activities.

Burn After Reading has a necessary anti-climax where top level CIA hears a report on all these follies. J.K. Simmons is aghast at all the proceedings. His attitude reflects

I think you'll see the Simmons point of view after watching Burn Without Reading.

CIA analyst Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) quits after being threatened with a demotion for his drinking problem. His dominating wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) is secretly having an affair with federal Marshall Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney). Katie decides to divorce him and copies his computer files. The CD gets left behind at a gym which is found by its employees. Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) is an idiot trainer and Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) is desperate for money to get plastic surgery. Chad tries to get some money for the highly secret files.

I get that the Coen brothers don't always have likable characters but the people in this movie really annoyed me. The only exception is Frances McDormand. She is adorable in her desperation. Richard Jenkins is likable by being connected to her. Brad Pitt is trying too hard. John Malkovich is good at bombastically annoying but Tilda Swinton is too cold and distant. If this movie starts and centers on Litzke, I would like it a lot more.