The Coen Brothers created one of my all-time favorite films, and one of the best films of 2007 (IMO There Will Be Blood should have won the Oscar), but their output between these two always left me luke-warm at best. Many folks talked about Burn After Reading as a shocking departure for the Coen's, apparently forgetting about Raising Arizona… Because of my love for Raising Arizona (back when Nic Cage's hair was intentionally amusing, not perpetually terrifying) I really wanted to love this movie, and although I laughed out loud many times, it didn't click in that magical way. Part of this has to do with casting, maybe Coen-veteran Steve Buscemi would have been better in too-handsome George Clooney's role; part of it had to do with some script choices, but Malkovich was great, Pitt was solid, and Clooney was good, but the part called for someone else. It was 90 minutes well-spent, and I might revisit it to watch with my wife, but it didn't make me fall in love with the Coen's all over again.

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