Burn After Reading

Burn After Reading is currently streaming in the US on Netflix, and it delivers exactly the kind of comedy that earns a loyal following. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. George Clooney is the obvious draw, but the whole ensemble earns its laughs. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Netflix.

There is a reason Burn After Reading keeps coming up in conversation. Burn After Reading does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. 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. George Clooney and Frances McDormand lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2008. Burn After Reading earns its laughs from character rather than situation, which is why it does not wear thin the way pure farce tends to. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Comedy fans looking for a reliably funny watch will find it in Burn After Reading. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. George Clooney's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.