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Burn After Reading (2008) Rank 3 Reviews

Expert Review Summary
Movie critics combined give Burn After Reading (2008) a score of 2.8382 out of 4
based on (151) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Excellent
4
Excellent
(32)
Very Good
3
Very Good
(93)
Good
2
Good
(20)
Fair
1
Fair
(6)
Poor
0
Poor
(0)
Reviews by Score:
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Guardian [UK] (Andrew Pulver)Guardian [UK] (Andrew Pulver)
A tightly wound, slickly plotted spy comedy. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Guardian [UK] (Andrew Pulver)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for BrandonFibbs.com (Brandon Fibbs)BrandonFibbs.com (Brandon Fibbs)
Burn After Reading, played for laughs by two directors clearly in prankish moods and never above inflicting their sadism on audiences, is the flipside of the Coen's existential dread in No Country for Old Men. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at BrandonFibbs.com (Brandon Fibbs)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)
[The Coens'] tragedies are stark and moody; their comedies sting and mock. Burn After Reading fits into the second category, but it's as pitiless and brutal as any of their pictures and funnier than any except Raising Arizona. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Jeffrey Chen)ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Jeffrey Chen)
Brothers Joel and Ethan Coen could direct a movie like Burn After Reading in their sleep, and I don't mean that as a slight. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Jeffrey Chen)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for E! Online (Alex Markerson)E! Online (Alex Markerson)
A twisted spy farce populated with characters that might as well be windup toys, Burn After Reading is nevertheless a hoot -- mostly thanks to the all-star cast. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at E! Online (Alex Markerson)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)
With a wealth of lip-smacking character turns and a plot that keeps us off our guard, Burn After Reading takes its entertaining place among the better lesser Coen brothers films, even if it doesn't burn itself into our memory. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Hollywood.com (Pete Hammond)Hollywood.com (Pete Hammond)
The Coens have done it again. Insanely funny. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Hollywood.com (Pete Hammond)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Monsters and Critics (Ron Wilkinson)Monsters and Critics (Ron Wilkinson)
A stellar cast and the usual percolating plot of the Coens combine in one of their most entertaining crime comedies to date. Funny stuff with Clooney, McDormand and Malkovich frame a breakthrough comedic performance by Brad Pitt. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Monsters and Critics (Ron Wilkinson)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for ReelzChannel.com (Jeff Otto)ReelzChannel.com (Jeff Otto)
If you're into the Coens brand of sardonic humor showcased in the likes of Fargo, O Brother Where Art Thou? and The Hudsucker Proxy then this should be right up you're ally. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at ReelzChannel.com (Jeff Otto)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Jam! Movies (Liz Braun)Jam! Movies (Liz Braun)
It's laugh-out-loud funny. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Jam! Movies (Liz Braun)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Oregonian (Marc Mohan)Oregonian (Marc Mohan)
Burn After Reading is nothing more and nothing less than a savvy and talented cast having its way with a clever, hilarious script, with absolutely no weighty issues at stake. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Oregonian (Marc Mohan)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)
The writing/directing team of Joel and Ethan Coen create a laugh-a-minute black comedy that pokes fun at America's surveillance-dominated existence, plastic surgery desires, and all out greed. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for IGN Movies (Todd Gilchrist)IGN Movies (Todd Gilchrist)
There's no Country in the Coens' latest, but plenty of great comedy. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at IGN Movies (Todd Gilchrist)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
Joel and Ethan Coen have such a distinctive creative palette that there ought to be a paint color named after them. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
An enjoyable Coen Brothers comedy with strong comic performances throughout, though it's more Intolerable Cruelty than The Big Lebowski. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Times [UK] (James Christopher)Times [UK] (James Christopher)
Indeed, the spies and thrills don’t add up at all. The plot is a total mistake. The characters are madly absurd. The film shouldn’t work, but it does. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Times [UK] (James Christopher)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Teletext (Victor Olliver)Teletext (Victor Olliver)
Burn After Reading is a near-perfect example of what Joel and Ethan Coen excel at: taking genres of all kinds - noir thriller, action, whatever - and twisting them a la penis puppetry ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Teletext (Victor Olliver)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Empire Magazine (Ian Nathan)Empire Magazine (Ian Nathan)
If No Country For Old Men was vintage port, Burn After Reading is a shot of tequila: eye watering and hard to swallow, but the after-effect is terrific. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Empire Magazine (Ian Nathan)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Daily Mail [UK] (Christopher Tookey)Daily Mail [UK] (Christopher Tookey)
Cleverly plotted and brilliantly acted, this is up there with Fargo and Raising Arizona as the Coens' finest comedic work. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Daily Mail [UK] (Christopher Tookey)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Dallas Morning News (Stephen Becker)Dallas Morning News (Stephen Becker)
As a chance to watch a gaggle of Serious Actors ham it up in an intricately plotted (though easy to follow) yarn, it's a well-executed diversion. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Dallas Morning News (Stephen Becker)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Reeling Reviews (Laura Clifford)Reeling Reviews (Laura Clifford)
J.K. Simmons makes his character's teflon tactics a witty criticism and his line readings are like hilarious subtitles to the action. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Reeling Reviews (Laura Clifford)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Associated Press (Christy Lemire)Associated Press (Christy Lemire)
We are no longer in No Country, but we are assuredly in Coen Country. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Associated Press (Christy Lemire)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Onion AV Club (Keith Phipps)Onion AV Club (Keith Phipps)
Burn's land of the perpetually deluded works as an amusing place to visit, but an even better place to flee. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Onion AV Club (Keith Phipps)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Reel.com ()Reel.com ()
Click to read the article ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Reel.com ()
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) (John Wirt)Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) (John Wirt)
Maestros of time and place, the Coen brothers orchestra a convergence of incompetence, bad decisions and all-around silliness. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) (John Wirt)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Seattle Times (Mark Rahner)Seattle Times (Mark Rahner)
A cruelly, insanely hilarious comedy populated with imbeciles whose appetites lead to giant helpings of Just Desserts. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Seattle Times (Mark Rahner)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Toronto Star (Peter Howell)Toronto Star (Peter Howell)
None of it makes strict sense, which is why it's called screwball, but in its own crazy way Burn After Reading nails the essential folly of humans pretending to be civilized. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Toronto Star (Peter Howell)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)
Burn After Reading aims for nothing but a few subversive giggles, which it delivers handily over the course of a quick 96 minutes. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for geocities.com (Mike McGranaghan)geocities.com (Mike McGranaghan)
John Malkovich plays Osborne Cox, a CIA official who, in the opening scene, opts to quit rather than be demoted. Left with no job, he begins writing his professional memoirs, much to the consternation of his wife Katie (Tilda Swinton). ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at geocities.com (Mike McGranaghan)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine) (Gina Carbone)Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine) (Gina Carbone)
When the Coen Brothers decide to go on a diet, the dudes abide. Burn is 96 lean minutes with characters who lie, cheat, kill and obsess over fitness. And yet they're the most likable folks east of Brainerd. (You betcha!) ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine) (Gina Carbone)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for LivePDX (Kimberly Gadette)LivePDX (Kimberly Gadette)
What's worse? Victimization by Washington's intel? Or victimization by a total lack of one's own? This is some clever comedy, where casual murder and serial dating go, um, hand-in-gland. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at LivePDX (Kimberly Gadette)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Washington Times (Christian Toto)Washington Times (Christian Toto)
Burn After Reading is typical Coen brothers, but Brad Pitt's appearance is anything but expected. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Washington Times (Christian Toto)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Austin Chronicle (Josh Rosenblatt)Austin Chronicle (Josh Rosenblatt)
The Coen brothers may be masters of black comedy, but there are times when there's no point in taking them seriously. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Austin Chronicle (Josh Rosenblatt)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Sean the Movie Guy (Sean McBride)Sean the Movie Guy (Sean McBride)
This is one of those films where it’s apparent that the cast had a grand old time making the movie, and their enthusiasm is infectious. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Sean the Movie Guy (Sean McBride)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for FILMINK (Australia) (Peter Galvin)FILMINK (Australia) (Peter Galvin)
Burn After Reading isn't 'cold' or distant -- it's a game, and a good one at that. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at FILMINK (Australia) (Peter Galvin)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for rec.arts.movies.reviews (David N. Butterworth)rec.arts.movies.reviews (David N. Butterworth)
A pleasant return to the silliness of the Coens' earlier pictures from the stiltedness of their latter-day offerings (No Country' excepted). ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at rec.arts.movies.reviews (David N. Butterworth)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Isn't much more than an extravagantly complicated joke, [but] it's a pretty funny one, with plenty of those mordantly humorous jolts the [Coens] are so good at. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
It would be no country for movie lovers without the Coens. They still manage to run unmuzzled while the rest of Hollywood runs scared. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Sean Axmaker)Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Sean Axmaker)
"Burn After Reading" is one of the Coens' more playful projects, much lighter and significantly slighter than "No Country for Old Men" or "Fargo," but it's put together with such perfection that you can't help but be won over. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Sean Axmaker)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for LarsenOnFilm (Josh Larsen)LarsenOnFilm (Josh Larsen)
And you thought No Country for Old Men was nihilistic. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at LarsenOnFilm (Josh Larsen)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)
Sour candy...redeemed by its humor and its clever construction, harkening back to the relatively optimistic crime comedy Fargo. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for ReelViews (James Berardinelli)ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Burn After Reading likely won't be a major Oscar contender for 2009, but that doesn't mean it won't offer a hell of a good time in theaters toward the end of 2008. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for NewsBlaze (Prairie Miller)NewsBlaze (Prairie Miller)
The Coen Brothers go undercover creatively for this playful spy comedy, twisting colliding plot schemes and lines alike while juggling online stranger sex and an uncooperative ex-CIA extortion victim with violent tendencies. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at NewsBlaze (Prairie Miller)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Buzzine Magazine (Staci Layne Wilson)Buzzine Magazine (Staci Layne Wilson)
Burn After Reading is a crime comedy-of-errors that's pretty much flawless. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Buzzine Magazine (Staci Layne Wilson)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)
Star vehicle that's playful but anti-glamorous? Goofy comedy-thriller that defies genre expectations in blending satire, spoof, parody and violence? The Coens' new film, which world premiered in Venice, is all of the above, and done in breezy 94 minutes ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
A likable lark that doesn't even pretend to explore the darker regions of human behavior, Burn After Reading nonetheless offers some snarky Coensian commentary about the panic that sets in when people reach a certain point in their (mid-)life: reconfiguri ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Beliefnet (Nell Minow)Beliefnet (Nell Minow)
Another Coens twisty, genre-tweaking movie filled with deadpan delivery by characters who are venal, dumb, or both, plus some shockingly grisly violence. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Beliefnet (Nell Minow)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Newsday (Rafer Guzman)Newsday (Rafer Guzman)
Doesn't stand up to Fargo or Blood Simple, but it's a chance to watch some top-notch actors jump their rails and head into terra bizarro. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Newsday (Rafer Guzman)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for Watertown Daily Times (Adam Tobias)Watertown Daily Times (Adam Tobias)
Even if the story behind Burn After Reading wasn't all that impressive, I'm sure the film would still stick in your mind because of the performances from its star-studded cast. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Watertown Daily Times (Adam Tobias)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
A low-key comedy with a high-powered cast ... it's a bit too mannered, but it's also thoroughly hilarious ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for About.com (Rebecca Murray)About.com (Rebecca Murray)
Burn After Reading is a check your brain at the door sort of comedy and one that you won't devote a single brain cell to analyzing after you leave the theater. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at About.com (Rebecca Murray)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Metromix.com (Geoff Berkshire)Metromix.com (Geoff Berkshire)
Considering the impressive ensemble, it's too bad Burn ends up perfectly good but never truly great. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Metromix.com (Geoff Berkshire)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Peterborough This Week (Mike Sage)Peterborough This Week (Mike Sage)
Burn After Reading is a welcome escape from September's usual crop of inane thrillers starring Nicolas Cage or Julianne Moore. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Peterborough This Week (Mike Sage)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for CinemaBlend.com (Joshua Tyler)CinemaBlend.com (Joshua Tyler)
Even at their most inane, Joel and Ethan Coen have managed something that is at the least, more entertaining than most of the other comedic dreck lurking around in theaters. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at CinemaBlend.com (Joshua Tyler)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for New York Magazine (David Edelstein)New York Magazine (David Edelstein)
Burn After Reading is untranscendent, a little tired, the first Coen brothers picture on autopilot. In the words of the CIA superior, it's 'no biggie. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at New York Magazine (David Edelstein)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Denton Record Chronicle (TX) (Boo Allen)Denton Record Chronicle (TX) (Boo Allen)
Subversive silliness in the finest Coens tradition. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Denton Record Chronicle (TX) (Boo Allen)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Philadelphia Daily News (Gary Thompson)Philadelphia Daily News (Gary Thompson)
As expected, the plot-savvy Coens find devilishly clever ways to link these disparate stories. They're less successful in finding a tone to connect them. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Philadelphia Daily News (Gary Thompson)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Bangor Daily News (Maine) (Christopher Smith)Bangor Daily News (Maine) (Christopher Smith)
A mixed bag of tricks that sometimes works--and sometimes doesn't. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Bangor Daily News (Maine) (Christopher Smith)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for 7M Pictures (Kevin Carr)7M Pictures (Kevin Carr)
It's not the best film in the Coen Brothers' library, but like almost any one of their films, it's better than most movies out there. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at 7M Pictures (Kevin Carr)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Entertainment Insiders (Janos Gereben)Entertainment Insiders (Janos Gereben)
Don't be misled by the a "action-trailer" on TV, saturating the airwaves; it says nothing of the film. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Entertainment Insiders (Janos Gereben)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for The Scorecard Review (Jeff Bayer)The Scorecard Review (Jeff Bayer)
Malkovich plus Pitt is perfection. In fact, I wish the film could have focused on just the two of them. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at The Scorecard Review (Jeff Bayer)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Boxoffice Magazine (Amy Nicholson)Boxoffice Magazine (Amy Nicholson)
Out of boredom or a need to unbalance their audiences, the Coens' follow-up is a bumbler, its first half as aimless as a drunk spider making threads without plotting a trap. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Boxoffice Magazine (Amy Nicholson)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Metromix.com (Matt Pais)Metromix.com (Matt Pais)
The Coens can certainly do better than “Burn After Reading,” which compulsively devolves into violent behavior and fails to focus on any characters for long enough to really take sides or sympathize with anyone. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Metromix.com (Matt Pais)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Filmcritic.com (Bill Gibron)Filmcritic.com (Bill Gibron)
Burn After Reading is made up of minor delights at best. The approach is so unique and dramatically deadpan that, if you don't catch their weird wavelength right up front, the Coens intend to leave you far, far behind. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Filmcritic.com (Bill Gibron)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for ReviewExpress.com (Diana Saenger)ReviewExpress.com (Diana Saenger)
The movie can’t be labeled as ground breaking or a must-see movie, but anyone who likes the Coen’s unpredictability or these cast members will find Burn After Reading quite amusing. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at ReviewExpress.com (Diana Saenger)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Tolucan Times (Tony Medley)Tolucan Times (Tony Medley)
The Coens know how to write about dumb people, and everybody's dumb!. This...lets you come out of it no wiser, but probably in better spirits than when you started. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Tolucan Times (Tony Medley)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for New York Times (Manohla Dargis)New York Times (Manohla Dargis)
Burn After Reading, the clubby, predictably self-amused comedy from Joel and Ethan Coen, has a tricky plot, visual style, er, to burn, but little heart. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at New York Times (Manohla Dargis)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for New York Press (Armond White)New York Press (Armond White)
Lesser artists would have followed a critical smash like No Country with another noir, courting audience favor through familiarity. But Burn After Reading, though shocking, is simply the flipside of the Coens' existential dread. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at New York Press (Armond White)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for EricDSnider.com (Eric D. Snider)EricDSnider.com (Eric D. Snider)
A lesser Coen work, a negligible dark comedy that will be remembered alongside, say, The Ladykillers rather than with, say, The Big Lebowski. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at EricDSnider.com (Eric D. Snider)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.67 out of 4 stars for Channel 4 Film (David Jenkins)Channel 4 Film (David Jenkins)
It’s possibly the Coens’ least romantic film, which makes the cynical tone a tough pill to swallow, but chances are that you’ll be too busy hooting and chuckling idiotically to notice. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Channel 4 Film (David Jenkins)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
A cartoonish spoof of espionage thrillers, Burn After Reading comes on so goofily that you don't notice the pessimistic undertone right away. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
A minor work on the Coen brothers' résumé is still better than, or as good as, most other filmmakers' best. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Slant Magazine (Bill Weber)Slant Magazine (Bill Weber)
An anti-conspiracy lampoon of conspiracy thrillers, the Coens' Burn After Reading paints its floundering Washington inhabitants as intractably or even fatally stupid. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Slant Magazine (Bill Weber)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)
Ozzie (John Malkovich) embodies the problem of the CIA, of the "intelligence community," which is that it reacts to data, then fashions a story about it to comport with the reaction. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for New York Observer (Andrew Sarris)New York Observer (Andrew Sarris)
Joel and Ethan Coen's Burn After Reading, from their own screenplay, strikes me as one of the most willfully awful movies I've ever seen. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at New York Observer (Andrew Sarris)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Village Voice (J. Hoberman)Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
A characteristically supercilious and crisply shot clown show filled with cartoon perfs and predicated on extravagant stupidity. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Arizona Republic (Bill Goodykoontz)Arizona Republic (Bill Goodykoontz)
Mostly we're along for a curious ride. Individual scenes are enjoyable, some laugh-out-loud funny. But it's not a story being told, really, so much as an exercise in ongoing and increasing stupidity on the part of the characters. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Arizona Republic (Bill Goodykoontz)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Hollywood Reporter (Kirk Honeycutt)Hollywood Reporter (Kirk Honeycutt)
It takes a while to adjust to the rhythms and subversive humor 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. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Hollywood Reporter (Kirk Honeycutt)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
The film grabs you immediately and never lets you go. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
...ultimately fits quite comfortably within the Coen brothers' various comedic endeavors... ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Slate (Dana Stevens)Slate (Dana Stevens)
For those who like their black comedy without a trace of cream or sugar, Burn holds up as a minor Coen brothers comedy, a Hudsucker Proxy rather than a Big Lebowski. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Slate (Dana Stevens)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
The script is clever and would be brilliant if it worked. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Duane Dudek)Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Duane Dudek)
Despite their best efforts, the film moves in fits and starts. Burn After Reading bounces; it just never gets rolling. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Duane Dudek)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for New York Post (Kyle Smith)New York Post (Kyle Smith)
Most audiences will find it a head-scratcher with a dismaying act of violence and a haphazard plot that fizzles out without any of the main characters on-screen. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at New York Post (Kyle Smith)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)
Extremely well-cast. Extremely well-written, too (with one of those clockwork plots -- beloved of the Coens since Blood Simple -- in which people, fatally, act before getting all the facts). ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)
Burn does a lot for a lark, but a lark it is nonetheless, and perfectly welcome as long as the Coens bring back their ambition next time around. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)
So in-between actually that based on mood and who I’m talking to, I could easily switch opinion and go the other way with it. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)
'Burn' may be inspired by eight years of Washington iniquity, but it hardly represents a departure from the typically curdled worldview of the Coens. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) (John Beifuss)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Donald J. Levit)ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Donald J. Levit)
Shown at the Toronto Festival after a world première on Venice’s opening night, it got lots of audience yuks at an all-media screening in New York, but that was from the gut without any of the distancing which provokes thought or humor for the head. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Donald J. Levit)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
This is a comedy of errors. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Atlanta Journal-Constitution ()Atlanta Journal-Constitution ()
"A frequently funny and weirdly endearing taxonomy of stupid human behavior that only the Coens can pull off with such control and panache. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Atlanta Journal-Constitution ()
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Deseret News, Salt Lake City (Jeff Vice)Deseret News, Salt Lake City (Jeff Vice)
You have to hand it to the Coen brothers. Even their cinematic 'failures' are pretty interesting. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Deseret News, Salt Lake City (Jeff Vice)
Burn After Reading (2008) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Kansas City Star (Robert W. Butler)Kansas City Star (Robert W. Butler)
What Burn does deliver is a handful of superbly dry comic scenes, some memorable depictions of human perfidy and idiocy and a couple of shockingly violent plot twists that’ll have you wondering if you really saw what you think you saw. ...read the complete Burn After Reading movie review at Kansas City Star (Robert W. Butler)
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Users combined give Burn After Reading (2008) a score of 0.750000 out of 4
based on (4) reviews
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1.00
Not a Comedy
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by blake on January 22, 2009 Ogden, Utah
This movie has almost no comedic elements to it. It makes attempts to be a black comedy, but it comes across as sad. The characters are too over the top and unrealistic. Not how a proper mockery and satire should be done. The movie has no real ending. It ...
0.00
Burn After WATCHING!
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by tiffany on January 21, 2009 Ogden, Utah
Had a horrible plot, lack of humor. With the exception of the over energized Brad Pitt. It was nothing like I had hoped. There were things in the movie that wouldn't be explained till half way through and by then you are trying to figure out the ...
1.00
Very disappointing
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by jonny on January 21, 2009 Ogden, Utah
With a all star cast this movies was not very entertaining ... A waste of time and DVD Rental money. ...
1.00
Overall, uninspired.
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by cory on January 28, 2009 Ogden, Utah
The film gets wrapped up in its own plot too much and forgets to entertain its audience. I admit it kept me interested for a while, but it left me feeling unsatisfied as it ended. The point of this film is that it is random and is random all the way ...
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Movie Reviews: Comedy
Burn After Reading (2008) Reviews
Burn After Reading (2008)

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Ratings and rankings are based on number of movie, review scores, awards & other criteria.
Overall Rating:
2.8704
Burn After Reading (2008) is ranked overall as out of 4 stars
Avg Critic Score:
2.8382
Burn After Reading (2008) is ranked overall as out of 4 stars
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