Trailer Blogger

Click to watch the Burn After Reading trailer at Zuguide.com

Even though there might be a few random chuckles to be had in No Country for Old Men, no one would go so far as to call it a comedy. But, for the most part, that’s what the Coen brothers are known for: dark, quirky laugh-out-loud funny movies. Putting aside a few forays into the world of mostly serious, nostalgic crime thrillers (Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, The Man Who Wasn’t There) and a couple of forgettable missteps (The Ladykillers, Intolerable Cruelty), the Coen brothers have made a name for themselves with a string of unusual and beloved films that get their laughs more from situations and characters than from point blank jokes (Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?).

Hoping to add to that list, the Coen brothers have written and directed Burn After Reading. The story revolves around a CD containing John Malkovich’s CIA memoirs. After Brad Pitt finds the disc in a locker room, he and fellow gym employee Frances McDormand set out to use their newfound leverage to lighten Malkovich’s wallet. The trailer begins with Pitt explaining what he’s found to a few skeptical coworkers. He then sets up a meeting with Malkovich over the phone, and it’s obvious that in the early going both Pitt and McDormand are treating their caper more like a game than an actual crime. When Pitt finally comes face-to-face with Malkovich, he gets a dose of reality and realizes that his plan might not go as smoothly as he once thought. From then on, it’s an all-out battle between the bitter, condescending Malkovich and the flighty, misguided Pitt. Also, somewhere along the way, McDormand gets romantically involved with George Clooney. While it’s not abundantly clear from the trailer what part he plays in the story, apparently Clooney is also sleeping with Tilda Swinton, Malkovich’s ex-wife.

My favorite part of the trailer comes when Pitt meets with Malkovich for the first time. Sitting in Malkovich’s car, Pitt tries to explain that he is merely a “good Samaritan.” But, Malkovich instantly sees through his load of crap and punches Pitt square in the nose to make it perfectly clear that the gym rat is messing with the wrong dude. Burn After Reading opens September 12, 2008. Check out the Burn After Reading trailer at Zuguide.com.