Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- sardonic
- irreverent
- dark comedy night
- coen brothers marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the Coens' tightly plotted spy comedy clever, sharply detailed, and elevated by memorable performances, though some considered its cartoonish tone and overbearing style ungainly.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
CIA personnel and federal officials treat the unfolding blackmail disaster as an administrative nuisance while failing to understand its causes.
Linda, Chad, Osbourne, and Harry repeatedly mistake personal motives and fragments of information for coherent espionage schemes.
The CD-ROM, Russian embassy visit, blackmail attempts, and surveillance behavior imitate espionage while serving petty personal ambitions.
The film contrasts clean suburban and office compositions with abrupt, meticulously staged acts of violence.
Films like Burn After Reading, and why
Fargo
shares black comedy, criminal incompetence, sudden violence, and sharply observed American absurdity
Raising Arizona
shares Coen-style screwball crime plotting, eccentric characters, and escalating dark humor
The Big Lebowski
shares paranoid espionage atmosphere, morally aimless characters, and bleakly comic violence
The Informant!
shares spy comedy conventions, ensemble misunderstandings, and satirical treatment of institutional power
Movie Details
- Directors
- Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
- Release Date
- 2008-09-05
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (5423)
Cast
- George Clooney
- Frances McDormand
- Brad Pitt
- John Malkovich
- Tilda Swinton
- Richard Jenkins
- Elizabeth Marvel
- David Rasche
- J.K. Simmons
- Olek Krupa
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Burn After Reading about?
- A discarded computer disc turns vanity, infidelity, and amateur blackmail into a viciously funny spiral of Washington dysfunction.
- What is Burn After Reading like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Burn After Reading as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Burn After Reading violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Burn After Reading as moderate.
- What did critics think of Burn After Reading?
- Critics broadly found the Coens' tightly plotted spy comedy clever, sharply detailed, and elevated by memorable performances, though some considered its cartoonish tone and overbearing style ungainly.
- Which films are like Burn After Reading?
- Films with a similar feel include Fargo, Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, and The Informant!.
- How long is Burn After Reading?
- Burn After Reading runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch Burn After Reading?
- In United States, Burn After Reading is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
