Burn After Reading

"Intelligence is relative."

2008 1h 36m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🍅

78%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 5,455🍅78%Rotten Tomatoes●63Metacritic★7IMDB · 380,939

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a disc containing memoirs of a former CIA analyst falls into the hands of gym employees, Linda and Chad, they see a chance to make enough money for Linda to have life-changing cosmetic surgery. Predictably, events whirl out of control for the duo, and those in their orbit.

“Intelligence is relative.”

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Cast

George Clooney
Harry Pfarrer
Frances McDormand
Linda Litzke
Brad Pitt
Chad Feldheimer
John Malkovich
Osborne Cox
Tilda Swinton
Katie Cox
Richard Jenkins
Ted
Elizabeth Marvel
Sandy Pfarrer
David Rasche
CIA Officer

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ethan Coen
Writers: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, United Kingdom, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ethan Coen, shot by Emmanuel Lubezki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joel Coen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

George Clooney and Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Intelligence is relative.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ethan Coen directs. Emmanuel Lubezki behind the camera. Carter Burwell scores. Joel Coen cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America, United Kingdom, France. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.4× over at the box office.
2Released 18 years ago.
3International production across 3 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom, France.
4Directed by Ethan Coen, shot by Emmanuel Lubezki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Joel Coen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7George Clooney and Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Intelligence is relative.".
9IMDB entry: tt0887883 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 18 themes, including "washington dc, usa", "blackmail", "paranoia", "dark comedy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki
Original score: Carter Burwell
Editing: Joel Coen
Production design: Jess Gonchor
Costume design: Mary Zophres
Makeup / hair: Patricia Regan
VFX supervisor: Randall Balsmeyer
Sound: Skip Lievsay
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $37,000,000
Box office: $163,700,000
Return: 442% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Burn After Reading (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 63/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 380,939 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Awards. 8 wins & 32 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Ethan Coen

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Bazzjazz2018-05-22
★ 8/10
The Coen brothers really seemed to enjoy making this dark comedy. Great ensemble cast . It really is just good solid entertainment and some great cynicism.
Martin Oaks2022-12-26
★ 8/10
The demolition of classic espionage After being demoted due to his alcohol problems, Osbourne Cox, a veteran CIA analyst, decides to leave the agency and write his memoirs. The CD containing the draft of his manuscript accidentally ends up on the locker room floor of his local gym, where it is found by Linda Litzke and Chad Feldheimer, two fitness center employees who are a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Convinced they have stumbled upon top-secret state secrets, the pair decides to blackmail Cox to fund the multiple plastic surgeries Linda so desperately craves. Consequently, a monumental mess ensues. Ambition and absolute incompetence collide head-on with an implacable federal government security coordinator—a fourth character in discord who is, in turn, trapped in his own web of infidelities and paranoia. Following the delightful homage to classic romantic comedies that the Coens gifted us with "Intolerable Cruelty" five years earlier, "Burn After Reading" is one of the sharpest, most precise, and hilarious satires in their catalog. It is a masterpiece of farce that draws its genius from the profound and irrevocable idiocy of its protagonists. The Minnesota filmmakers dismantle the aura of solemnity surrounding the high-level institutional spy and blackmail thriller, delivering a microcosm where nobody knows or controls anything, yet everyone is willing to kill or die for absurd misunderstandings. If there is one thing the Coens know how to do flawlessly, it is character development. They lean on a cast that borders on perfection here, highlighting an absolutely unleashed Brad Pitt as the simple-minded Chad, and a superb Frances McDormand whose existential vacuity pulls the strings of the plot. Together, it is a symphony of chaos with an unrelenting pace, backed by Carter Burwell’s rhythmic and severe score, which deliberately contrasts with the ridiculousness of what we see on screen. The work as a whole serves as a reminder that the machinery of the world is not driven by flawless conspiracies, but by pure and simple ineptitude.