Burn After Reading

[Cervaise]

@Alessan

For instance, when he blustered that he’d never forget his combat training… he wasn’t kidding.

Well, kind-of-sort-of. There’s that whole “be sure you know what you’re pointing your gun at before you pull the trigger” thing.

[Strassia]

@HelloNinja

Did she ever find out about the two friends getting offed? I thought the CIA covered up everything (“Burn the body!”). I don’t see how she’d find out.

She new Chad had disappeared and she was picked up and interrogated but willing to forget everything in exchange for the surgery. She may have tried to bargain for Chad, but they didn’t mention it and I doubt it. She was trying to get help from Clooney’s character to find Chad, but she was trying to get her manager to take a risk and break into the house again rather than give up on her dream.

Jonathan

[Vox_Imperatoris]

@Strassia

The Manager Guy was a likeable schlub, but Marge was terrible. She was superficially pleasant, but self centered and controlling. She was willing to let two of her friends die in exchange for plastic surgery she didn’t really need.

I enjoyed the movie, but I will say the change in tone during the closet scene was extremely jarring. In Fargo, you kinda of always knew the bad guys were capable of terrible things, but in this one, it just kind of came out of nowhere.

It reminded me of the car scene in Pulp Fiction.

Valete,
Vox Imperatoris

[eleanorigby]

I just saw this last night (rented the DVD). I loved it. I have never watched the Coen Brothers anything before, but now I want to see Fargo.

I loved Linda(McDormand)-so self centered and stupid. Brad Pitt (who I don’t like as an actor) disappeared into his numbnut health club persona. Richard Jenkins, who I adore, was so good as the manager who cares, and Clooney (also not a fav of mine) was good as Harry, the jerk. IMO, Swinton was over the top; but Clooney’s wife had the last laugh on her.

I loved the plot, the ineptness of ALL of the characters, the zaniness of the premise. I love how the Russians don’t bother to tell the CIA that the disk contains nothing.
Did it reach the sublime? No–it jerks in places and gets distracted by its own wackines, but overall, I thought it was a great movie.

[Cisco]

@Prelude_to_Fascination

The CIA superior quote Stranger posted upthread was among the funniest bit, because it seems so out of character for an authority like that (in the movies at least, and there are exceptions, of course).

When I saw that scene I thought, “if they ended the movie here, I would love it, but there’s no way they’ll have the self control to—” and then it ended. :).

[Strassia]

@Vox_Imperatoris

It reminded me of the car scene in Pulp Fiction.

Valete,
Vox Imperatoris

I can see that, but the difference to me is that Vince and Jules had just killed three people, at least two in cold blood, so while it was sudden, it was not and extreme change in tone. The kid in the back of the car was also not a central character and the biggest star in the movie.

Jonathan

[squeegee]

@Strassia

but Marge was terrible. She was superficially pleasant, but self centered and controlling.

Like I said, everyone was self-focused, but Marge didn’t seem irredeemably evil like Bill Macy’s character in Fargo turned out. Manager Schlub’s kindness made me feel that if she could see the pleasant parts of her life and stop obsessing, she’d be a good person. YMdidV.

She was willing to let two of her friends die in exchange for plastic surgery she didn’t really need.

I’ll have to go with the other poster that we don’t know she knew anything about this.