Current release: BURN AFTER READING
The Coen brothers follow up their Oscar-winning smash NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN with a lighter affair in BURN AFTER READING, a ensemble romp set in the world of intelligence agencies and gymnasiums.
It's certainly a change of pace, though still put together with their usual flair and attention to detail. Sadly it's also a little underwhelming.
This isn't because of the comparisons to NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, which itself I thought was very good but ever so slightly overrated. Nope, my problem with the brothers' latest offering is that it's a comedy with a very limited idea of what's funny.
The cast - and it's as starry as the brothers have ever assembled - are all game enough, and get as much humour as they can out of the material, but that just isn't enough. Look, it's Brad Pitt - and he's acting a bit silly! And hey, John Malkovich just shouted "what the f---!" again! If this is your idea of funny, then you'll probably find the first half of the film hilarious.
I don't though, so I had to wait until the second half to really start getting bang for my buck. By then, the story and characters have become so intertwined with the ridiculous nature of each other that the humour finally starts to arise, as it should, from a combination of characters and situations, rather than just by Brad Pitt dancing or someone swearing.
In the end, the film gets pass marks despite the shaky first half and one or two of the cast members trying a little too hard in the quirkiness stakes - but I still can't shake the feeling that I've really only got half a film out of my money.
It's certainly a change of pace, though still put together with their usual flair and attention to detail. Sadly it's also a little underwhelming.
This isn't because of the comparisons to NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, which itself I thought was very good but ever so slightly overrated. Nope, my problem with the brothers' latest offering is that it's a comedy with a very limited idea of what's funny.
The cast - and it's as starry as the brothers have ever assembled - are all game enough, and get as much humour as they can out of the material, but that just isn't enough. Look, it's Brad Pitt - and he's acting a bit silly! And hey, John Malkovich just shouted "what the f---!" again! If this is your idea of funny, then you'll probably find the first half of the film hilarious.
I don't though, so I had to wait until the second half to really start getting bang for my buck. By then, the story and characters have become so intertwined with the ridiculous nature of each other that the humour finally starts to arise, as it should, from a combination of characters and situations, rather than just by Brad Pitt dancing or someone swearing.
In the end, the film gets pass marks despite the shaky first half and one or two of the cast members trying a little too hard in the quirkiness stakes - but I still can't shake the feeling that I've really only got half a film out of my money.
Labels: Coen brothers
posted by Alan at 7:13 pm
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