You are in > manchester.com  > News > Mixed reviews for Burn After Reading

Film

Mixed reviews for Burn After Reading

29/08/2008

The Coen brothers' new film Burn After Reading, which received its international premiere at the Venice film festival this week, has received mixed reviews.

Following up the Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men, the Coen brothers managed to acquire the services of global superstars Brad Pitt and George Clooney for their latest project, alongside regular collaborators such as Frances McDormand.

Loosely, the film is dark comedy based on stupid spies, stupid personal trainers and a bunch of other stupid people thrown in for good measure.

It is a return to the wacky type of film the Coens are well known for and despite the huge amounts of attention its stars received at Venice on Wednesday, Burn After Reading is not going down that well with critics.

The Guardian declares: "There are smart films about smart people, smart films about dumb people, but Burn Before Reading is a dumb film about dumb people."

Variety is slightly more damming, describing the film as "immature" and "too fundamentally silly".

"Nothing about the project's execution inspires the feeling that this was ever intended as anything more than a lark, which would be fine if it were a good one. As it is audience teeth-grinding sets in early and never lets up," the magazine declares.

The Hollywood Reporter is more complementary, saying: "It takes awhile to adjust to the rhythms and subversive humour of Burn because this is really an anti-spy thriller in which nothing is at stake, no one acts with intelligence and everything ends badly.

"Those who relish this movie might treat it as the second coming of The Big Lebowski; those who don't might wonder at a story in which no character has a level head."

Burn After Reading is set to be released in the US on September 12th.