Burn after Reading

Finally, an intelligent comedy that engenders some real laughs. Burn after Reading is a dark, sarcastic take on the internal workings of the CIA. Created from the warped minds of the Coen brothers, the film alternates between absurdist reality and out-of-control hilarity. Imagine the movie Get Smart if the Coen brothers had been given control. J.K. Simmons is perfectly cast as the incredulous upper management type (e.g. the Chief), while John Malkovitch rages as the intellectually pompous (and alcoholic) ex-agent whose firing triggers the ridiculously simple plot. The only false step is provided by Brad Pitt whose over-the-top portrayal of a semi-moronic fitness instructor reminded me too much of his tick-ridden psych inmate from the classic Twelve Monkees.