Metacritic Movie Ratings
Burn After Reading Reviews

A sample of reviews from critics across the country.

• 80

  out of 100

  Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan

  Because it's a Coen brothers film before it's anything else, this is about as dark and nihilistic as comedies are allowed to get before the laughter dies bitterly on your lips.

  Read full review

• 75

  out of 100

  USA TodayClaudia Puig

  It's consistently funny -- with witty dialogue and offbeat banter that stays in your head for days.

  Read full review

• 75

  out of 100

  Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert

  The characters are zany, the plot coils upon itself with dizzy zeal, and the roles seem like a perfect fit for the actors -- yes, even Brad Pitt, as Chad, a gum-chewing, fuzzy-headed physical fitness instructor. I've always thought of him as a fine actor, but here he reveals a dimension that, shall I say, we haven't seen before.

  Read full review

• 70

  out of 100

  The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt

  Joel and Ethan Coen clearly are in a prankish mood, knocking out a minor piece of silliness with all the trappings of an A-list studio movie.

  Read full review

• 50

  out of 100

  Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum

  The movie is overplowed, even if Brad Pitt's debut as a Coen comedy player is eye-catching.

  Read full review

• 50

  out of 100

  The New York TimesManohla Dargis

  The clubby, predictably self-amused comedy from Joel and Ethan Coen, has a tricky plot, visual style, er, to burn, but so little heart as to warrant a Jarvik 8.

  Read full review

• 50

  out of 100

  VarietyTodd McCarthy

  Nothing about the project's execution inspires the feeling that this was ever intended as anything more than a lark, which would be fine if it were a good one. As it is, audience teeth-grinding sets in early and never lets up.

  Read full review

See all Burn After Reading movie reviews at Metacritic.com