After two largely awful attempts at comedy (Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers), the Coen Brothers blew away the world of cinema with a potent adaptation of the novel No Country for Old Men, a philosophical glance at the role of violence in our life. They followed that up with a flawed but entertaining madcap comedy, Burn After Reading, and seem to be continuing in mood with their upcoming A Serious Man.
The trailer above is a well-crafted 90 seconds of footage that reveals little about the plot. Most probably because there is not much of a plot to this comedic drama. The story follows Larry Gopnik, an academic living and working in 1960s Minneapolis. After his wife wants to leave him it seems poor Larry is trying to find meaning and understanding in hiw life, which is falling apart around him due to the assistance of an utterly disfunctional family.
It’s interesting to see the Coen brothers make a film that seems particularly unambitious. Indeed, you’d almost risk believing that it’s the most personal film the directing duo have made, dealing with their childhood in Minneapolis and their academic parents. Is this the Coen brothers making a Woody Allen film? It’s hard to tell from the trailer, but the amusing attempt to construct Larry’s problems (being bashed against a wall, the hacking coughs of his apparently uncaring rabbi) into a soundtrack of anxiety works well to transform the concept of a humdrum life into a funny tale.
Lakeview Terrace remains at the top with Burn After Reading in the coveted second place. It’s good to see The Dark Knight at ninth place still drawing an audience after a blockbuster summer.
Weekly Box Office
September 19, 2008 - September 25, 2008(*millions)
Weekend Estimate at the box office offers kudos to Coen brothers’ Burn After Reading. Bangkok Dangerous, which held first place last week, took a dangerous drop to number eight. The Women came in fourth.
September 12, 2008 - September 14, 2008 (*millions)
In case you didn’t get the full blow-by-blow of the plot Burn After Reading:
It’s a comedy thriller from Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men, Fargo, The Big Lebowski), is world-premiering as the opening-night film of the 2008 Venice International Film Festival.
At the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency in Arlington, Va., analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) arrives for a top-secret meeting. Unfortunately for Cox, the secret is soon out: he is being ousted. Cox does not take the news particularly well and returns to his Georgetown home to work on his memoirs and his drinking, not necessarily in that order. His wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) is dismayed, though not particularly surprised; she is already well into an illicit affair with Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), a married federal marshal, and sets about making plans to leave Cox for Harry.
Elsewhere in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, and seemingly worlds apart, Hardbodies Fitness Centers employee Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) can barely concentrate on her work. She is consumed with her life plan for extensive cosmetic surgery, and confides her mission to can-do colleague Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt). Linda is all but oblivious to the fact that the gym’s manager Ted Treffon (Richard Jenkins) pines for her even as she arranges dates via the Internet with other men.
When a computer disc containing material for the CIA analyst’s memoirs accidentally falls into the hands of Linda and Chad,the duo are intent on exploiting their find. As Ted frets, “No good can come of this,” events spiral out of everyone’s and anyone’s control, in a cascading series of darkly hilarious encounters.
The latest production stills of the dark spy-comedy, “Burn After Reading” from Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen (”Fargo,” “No Country for Old Men.”), just arrived.
I find the picture of Brad Pitt hilarious and the next favorite is Clooney in the bed with Swinton – their expressions are fantastically funny.
The dark spy-comedy is about an ousted CIA official’s (Academy Award nominee John Malkovich) memoir accidentally falls into the hands of two unwise gym employees intent on exploiting their find.
The complete cast is Academy Award winners George Clooney, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton and John Malkovich and Brad Pitt.
Focus Features has just released an awesome red band trailer for the upcoming Coen Brothers comedy “Burn After Reading”Trailer. Release date is set for September 12, 2008. It’s a dark spy-comedy from Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen. An ousted CIA official’s, John Malkovich, memoir accidently falls into the hands of two unwise gym employees intent on exploiting their find. Other cast members include George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton.
