Burn After Reading (2008)
What makes this so uniquely funny is the combination of a great script and big name actors playing roles a bit unusual for them. I am definitely not used to see someone like Brad Pitt, George Clooney or Frances McDormand playing such buffoons.
What starts out as two innocently looking seperate stories spirals out of control into typical Coen black comedy resembling Fargo. I like how it is not simply stupid people doing stupid things but rather uninformed gullible people making decisions that for them seem rational at the time, yet so horribly wrong. While maybe not entirely realistic, everything is very believable and people react in ways that feels plausible.
Not sure if the movie has a point other than making a point out of all the meaningless stuff, but it does propose an interesting take on various three letter agencies and their surveillance. They are portrayed as fairly competent and in control, yet they don’t seem to know the “why” of it all either.
Rating: 4.5