Rotten Tomatoes: 77% “Fresh” for New Coen Brothers ‘Burn After Reading.’

Consensus from Rotten Tomatoes: With Burn After Reading, the Coen Brothers have crafted another clever comedy/thriller with an outlandish plot and memorable characters.

World-premiering as the opening-night film of the 2008 Venice International Film Festival; a dark spy-comedy from Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen. An ousted CIA official’s (Academy Award nominee John Malkovich) memoir accidentally falls into the hands of two unwise gym employees intent on exploiting their find.

Guru’s Note: I am delighted the brothers are returning to their comedy roots. Yeah, yeah, No Country For Old Men was a powerfully portentous masterpiece . . . but Fargo, Raising Arizona and O, Brother Where Art Thou . . . now that’s what our recession-ridden, media-addled country needs right about now. Go find a classic film by Preston Sturges — Sullivan’s Travels – to understand why a smart-ass comedy with a killer script is the best cure for CNN, CNBC and Fox.