While watching Burn After Reading last night with some friends, there were many moments where we would look at each other and ask where in the world the movie was going.  With a Coen Brothers movie, this is not all that unusual as they are infamous for their off-the-wall movies though often to good result (see Fargo, Big Lebowski, O’ Brother Where Art Thou?).   However, last night we were over an hour into Burn After Reading and George Clooney had just revealed his secret, um, project, and we were at a complete loss for the direction the movie was going and really wondering whether it was worth it to watch the last 20 minutes.  Finally, the final 10 minutes, and particularly the last scene,  tied it all together in comical perfection.   J.K. Simmons saves the day!

Much like two of my favorite movies, Clue and Usual Suspects, the excellent ending is what carried the movie.  On the other end of the spectrum, you have another Coen movie, No Country For Old Men – an otherwise interesting movie that for some reason, tacked on a terrible, pointless ending that left me confused and disappointed.   Does anyone out there have any idea what Tommy Lee Jones was talking about?

If there is one thing to remember about Burn After Reading from a filmmakers perspective, remember to make your final scene your best scene.  Tropic Thunder is the most recent movie I’ve seen that screwed this up.  An average and otherwise forgettable movie, the brilliant Tom Cruise scenes don’t require you to have watched the movie at all to appreciate and you’d be just as well served by viewing them on the internet.