Burn After Reading (2008)

Not one person in Burn After Reading has a clue, and the Coens study them like scientists watching ants carry a cracker the wrong way. That’s the charm and the limit. The movie is so cold toward its characters that when things take a dark turn, it’s hard to feel much. But the cast is having a ball. Brad Pitt plays Chad, a gym trainer with frosted hair, earbuds and the confidence of a man who’s never finished a book, and every scene he’s in is a gift. John Malkovich yells through a career meltdown like the world owes him an apology. George Clooney plays a jumpy marshal who can’t stop asking people about their floors. Frances McDormand chases Linda’s dream with total commitment, even when the dream is ridiculous. It made $163.7 million worldwide on a reported $37 million. A 7.3 because it’s a sharp, tiny joke about a big, dumb world. $26.71 says you hear someone say classified this week and immediately picture Brad Pitt dancing with his earbuds in.

What works: Brad Pitt’s clueless trainer and John Malkovich’s endless fury are comedy gold, and the whole cast plays dumb brilliantly.

What doesn’t: The movie keeps its characters at such a chilly distance that its darker turns land with a shrug instead of a jolt.

Who it’s for: People who like their comedy dry, their spies incompetent and their endings with a shrug.