Burn After Reading

Burn After Reading
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoel Coen
Ethan Coen
Written byJoel Coen
Ethan Coen
Produced byJoel Coen
Ethan Coen
Starring
CinematographyEmmanuel Lubezki
Edited byRoderick Jaynes[a]
Music byCarter Burwell
Production
companies
Distributed byFocus Features (International)
Universal Pictures (United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Benelux and Spain)
StudioCanal (France)[2]
Release dates
  • August 27, 2008 (2008-08-27) (Venice)
  • September 12, 2008 (2008-09-12) (United States)
  • October 17, 2008 (2008-10-17) (United Kingdom)
  • December 10, 2008 (2008-12-10) (France)
Running time
96 minutes[3]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$37 million[2]
Box office$163.7 million[2]

Burn After Reading is a 2008 black comedy film written, produced, edited and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.[5] It follows a recently jobless CIA analyst, Osborne Cox (John Malkovich), whose misplaced memoirs are found by a pair of dimwitted gym employees (Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt). When they mistake the memoirs for classified government documents, they undergo a series of misadventures in an attempt to profit from their find. The film also stars George Clooney as a womanizing U.S. Marshal; Tilda Swinton as Katie Cox, the wife of Osborne Cox; Richard Jenkins as the gym manager; and J. K. Simmons as a CIA supervisor.

The film premiered on August 27, 2008, at the Venice Film Festival.[6] It was released in the United States on September 12, 2008, and in the United Kingdom on October 17, 2008. It performed well at the box office, grossing over $163 million from its $37 million budget.[2] Critical response was mostly positive, and the film received nominations at both the Golden Globes[7] and British Academy Film Awards.[8]


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  1. ^ "Burn After Reading | Arts". The Harvard Crimson. September 19, 2008. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference mojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Burn After Reading (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 1, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "Burn After Reading (2008)". BFI. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  5. ^ Carpenter, Cassie (January 23, 2008). "Fire and ice queen". Backstage. Archived from the original on August 3, 2007. Retrieved September 9, 2008.
  6. ^ "Coen Brothers Film To Open This Year's Venice Film Festival". CBSnews. April 28, 2008. Archived from the original on October 23, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
  7. ^ "Burn After Reading". Golden Globes. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  8. ^ "BAFTA Awards 2009". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved February 23, 2022.