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*FunnyBackgroundEvent: Near the end, Linda's blind date is on the bench near her. During George Clooney's freak-out, a woman comes to meet him, who [[StalkerWithACrush looks exactly like her.]]
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* BittersweetEnding / DownerEnding / NoEnding: [[spoiler: It's hard to really say how the film ends. The film just kind of stops, without any real warning, but it does quickly wrap up most of the main characters stories, and it doesn't end happily for most of them, but a lot them were horrible people anyway, however whether certain characters got what they deserve is up for debate and the more sympathetic characters got the worst punishments. However, because the film doesn't really have a plot, it could be argued that it doesn't really end anyway. [[MindScrew It's all a little confusing.]]]]
* BlackComedy
* BlackComedy
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* BittersweetEnding / DownerEnding / NoEnding: [[spoiler: It's hard to really say how the film ends. The film just kind of stops, without any real warning, but it does quickly wrap up most of the main characters character's stories, and it doesn't end happily for most of them, but them. On the other hand, a lot them were horrible people anyway, however anyways, and whether certain characters got what they deserve is up for debate and debate, but the more sympathetic characters got the worst punishments. However, because the film doesn't really have a plot, it could be argued that it doesn't really end anyway.to begin with. [[MindScrew It's all a little confusing.]]]]
*BlackComedyBlackComedy: As per usual with the Coens.
*
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* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: It's a CoenBrothers movie. What did you expect, sunshine and rainbows?
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* TheReveal: The movie does a ''fantastic'' job building up anticipation about the what Harry had been constructing in his basement with all those tools. Turns out [[spoiler: it's an sex-toy, namely a rocking chair that pushes a dildo up and down.]]
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* TheReveal: The movie does a ''fantastic'' job building up anticipation about the what Harry had been secretly constructing in his basement with all those tools. Turns out [[spoiler: it's an sex-toy, namely a rocking chair that pushes a dildo up and down.]]
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* ShowWithinAShow: ''Coming Up Daisy'', a RomanticComedy directed by Creator/SamRaimi and based on a book by [[NoCountryForOldMen Cormac McCarthy]].
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* ShowWithinAShow: ''Coming Up Daisy'', a RomanticComedy directed by Creator/SamRaimi Creator/SamRaimi, starring Dermot Mulroney and Claire Danes, and based on a book by [[NoCountryForOldMen Cormac McCarthy]].
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--> '''Chad''': ''(chuckles)'' He thinks it's a Schwinn.
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--> '''Chad''': ''(chuckles)'' He thinks it's You think that's a Schwinn.Schwinn!
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* DeconstructiveParody: Of crime and spy thrillers.
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* BittersweetEnding/DownerEnding/NoEnding: [[spoiler: It's hard to really say how the film ends. The film just kind of stops, without any real warning, but it does quickly wrap up most of the main characters stories, and it doesn't end happily for most of them, but a lot them were horrible people anyway, however whether certain characters got what they deserve is up for debate and the more sympathetic characters got the worst punishments. However, because the film doesn't really have a plot, it could be argued that it doesn't really end anyway. [[MindScrew It's all a little confusing.]]]]
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* BittersweetEnding/DownerEnding/NoEnding: BittersweetEnding / DownerEnding / NoEnding: [[spoiler: It's hard to really say how the film ends. The film just kind of stops, without any real warning, but it does quickly wrap up most of the main characters stories, and it doesn't end happily for most of them, but a lot them were horrible people anyway, however whether certain characters got what they deserve is up for debate and the more sympathetic characters got the worst punishments. However, because the film doesn't really have a plot, it could be argued that it doesn't really end anyway. [[MindScrew It's all a little confusing.]]]]
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* BittersweetEnding/DownerEnding/NoEnding: [[spoiler: It's hard to really say how the film ends. The film just kind of stops, without any real warning, but it does quickly wrap up most of the main characters stories, and it doesn't end happily for most of them, but a lot them were horrible people anyway, however whether certain characters got what they deserve is up for debate and the more sympathetic characters got the worst punishments. However, because the film doesn't really have a plot, it could be argued that it doesn't really end anyway. [[MindScrew It's all a little confusing.]]]]
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''Burn After Reading'' is a 2008 BlackComedy film written, produced and directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, starring JohnMalkovich, GeorgeClooney, TildaSwinton, Frances [=McDormand=] and BradPitt. When CIA Analyst Osbourne Cox is forced into retirement, his wife wants to divorce him; however, when an employee at Hardbodies gym, named Linda, finds a CD containing their financial information, she assumes that the CD contains sensitive information, and tries to hold it to ransom.
to:
''Burn After Reading'' is a 2008 BlackComedy film written, produced and directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, starring JohnMalkovich, GeorgeClooney, TildaSwinton, Frances [=McDormand=] Creator/JohnMalkovich, Creator/GeorgeClooney, Creator/TildaSwinton, Creator/FrancesMcDormand and BradPitt.Creator/BradPitt. When CIA Analyst Osbourne Cox is forced into retirement, his wife wants to divorce him; however, when an employee at Hardbodies gym, named Linda, finds a CD containing their financial information, she assumes that the CD contains sensitive information, and tries to hold it to ransom.
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* CopBoyfriend: Sorta, with Clooney's character.
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* WhyWeAreBummedCommunismFell: Played with. After being fired, Cox tells his father (who also worked for the CIA) that he quit because after the ColdWar it turned into a bureaucracy. However, later on, nobody associated with the CIA can understand why Linda would think to sell Cox's memoirs to the Russian embassy.
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* WhyWeAreBummedCommunismFell: Played with. After being fired, Cox tells his father (who also worked for the CIA) that he quit because after the ColdWar UsefulNotes/ColdWar it turned into a bureaucracy. However, later on, nobody associated with the CIA can understand why Linda would think to sell Cox's memoirs to the Russian embassy.
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* ImprovisedWeapon: Ted shows surprising resourcefulness when [[spoiler:held at gunpoint, hurling a paperweight at his attacker to throw off his aim and then running for the door with a bullet in his arm.]]
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---> '''Osbourne''': If you ever carried out your proposed threat, you would experience such a ''shitstorm'' of consequences, my friend! Your empty little head would be spinning faster than the wheels of your Schwinn bicycle back there!
---> '''Chad''': ''(chuckles)'' He thinks it's a Schwinn.
---> '''Chad''': ''(chuckles)'' He thinks it's a Schwinn.
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-->''They all seem to be sleeping with each other.''
* LoveMakesYouDumb: The Hard Bodies Manager.
* LoveMakesYouDumb: The Hard Bodies Manager.
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* LoveMakesYouDumb:
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** To review: [[spoiler: Linda, who is terribly shallow and greedy, and thinks only of her own benefit gets the CIA to pay for her surgeries, and suffers no negative consequences to her actions. Harry, who is a complete sleazebag who constantly cheats on his wife gets served divorce papers, but otherwise gets away scott free to Venezuela. Osbourne is an alcoholic [=JerkAss=], but at least has good (if very misguided) intentions; he ends up in a coma and borderline braindead. Finally, the characters who get it worst are Chad and Ted, both sweet and sympathetic characters who just try to help; Chad is shot in the head in the second act, while Ted is shot in the arm ''and hacked to death with a hatchet.'']]
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** To review: [[spoiler: Linda, who is terribly shallow and greedy, and thinks only of her own benefit benefit, and fully intends to sell national secrets to Russia for cash, gets the CIA to pay for her surgeries, and suffers no negative consequences to her actions. Harry, who is a complete sleazebag who constantly cheats on his wife gets served divorce papers, but otherwise gets away scott free to Venezuela. Osbourne is an alcoholic [=JerkAss=], but at least has good (if very misguided) intentions; he ends up in a coma and borderline braindead. Finally, the characters who get it worst are Chad and Ted, both sweet and sympathetic characters who just try to help; Chad is shot in the head in the second act, while Ted is shot in the arm ''and hacked to death with a hatchet.'']]
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* OnlySaneMan: The director. It speaks to [[IdiotPlot what kind of movie this is]] that he [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep isn't even given a name]].
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* OnlySaneMan: The director.CIA Director. It speaks to [[IdiotPlot what kind of movie this is]] that he [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep isn't even given a name]].
* RunForTheBorder: Harry is seized trying to board a flight to Venezuela.
-->'''Palmer:''' We had his name on a hot list. CBP pulled him in. Don't know why he was trying to go to Venezuela.\\
'''Director:''' You don't know.\\
'''Palmer:''' No, sir.\\
'''Director:''' We have no extradition with Venezuela.\\
'''Palmer:''' Oh! So what should we do with him?\\
'''Director:''' For fuck's sake, put him on the next flight to Venezuela!
-->'''Palmer:''' We had his name on a hot list. CBP pulled him in. Don't know why he was trying to go to Venezuela.\\
'''Director:''' You don't know.\\
'''Palmer:''' No, sir.\\
'''Director:''' We have no extradition with Venezuela.\\
'''Palmer:''' Oh! So what should we do with him?\\
'''Director:''' For fuck's sake, put him on the next flight to Venezuela!
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-->'''CIA Superior:''' What did we learn, Palmer?
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-->'''CIA Superior:''' [[AnAesop What did we learn, Palmer?Palmer?]]
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-->'''CIA Superior:''' I don't fuckin' know either. I guess we learned not to do it again.
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-->'''CIA Superior:''' I don't fuckin' know either. I guess we learned learned... not to do it again.
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-->'''CIA Superior:''' I'm fucked if I know what we did.
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-->'''CIA Superior:''' I'm fucked if I know what we did. ''did. ''
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* BetterThanABareBulb: Without the CIA scenes, the plot would look like a ridiculous, disconnected mess. Just having an omniscient observer ''acknowledge'' that the plot is a ridiculous, disconnected mess somehow manages to absolve this.
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* ClusterFBomb: Osbourne on multiple occasions, Harry when [[spoiler:he discovers Chad in his closet after he accidently shoots him]], and the CIA Superior at the end of the movie. Chad is more fond of the S-word, and uses a Cluster ''S-Bomb'' after he discoveres a cd of Osbourne's memoirs, which he think is top secret information.
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* CleanupCrew: The reason [[PoliceAreUseless the police never get involved]] is that the CIA are running around disposing of the bodies before the police can find them and drag a story into the open that might embarrass the Agency.
* ClusterFBomb: Osbourne on multiple occasions, Harry when [[spoiler:he discovers Chad in his closet after heaccidently accidentally shoots him]], and the CIA Superior at the end of the movie. Chad is more fond of the S-word, and uses a Cluster ''S-Bomb'' after he discoveres a cd of Osbourne's memoirs, which he think is top secret information.
* ClusterFBomb: Osbourne on multiple occasions, Harry when [[spoiler:he discovers Chad in his closet after he
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* {{Farce}}: The movie only works because it doesn't even ''try'' to maintain a sensical plot.
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-->''They all seem to be sleeping with each other.''
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Osbourne Cox THOUGHT it held his momoirs, but in actuality it held their financial information that his wife was going to take during the divorce
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''Burn After Reading'' is a 2008 BlackComedy film written, produced and directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, starring JohnMalkovich, GeorgeClooney, TildaSwinton, Frances [=McDormand=] and BradPitt. When CIA Analyst Osbourne Cox is forced into retirement, he begins writing his personal memoirs; however, when an employee at his gym named Linda finds a CD containing said memoirs, she assumes that the CD contains sensitive information, and tries to hold it to ransom.
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''Burn After Reading'' is a 2008 BlackComedy film written, produced and directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, starring JohnMalkovich, GeorgeClooney, TildaSwinton, Frances [=McDormand=] and BradPitt. When CIA Analyst Osbourne Cox is forced into retirement, he begins writing his personal memoirs; wife wants to divorce him; however, when an employee at his gym Hardbodies gym, named Linda Linda, finds a CD containing said memoirs, their financial information, she assumes that the CD contains sensitive information, and tries to hold it to ransom.
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That\'s what I get for pasting blindly
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---> '''Osbourne''': If you ever carried out your proposed threat you would experience such a shitstorm of consequences my friend your empty little head would be spinning faster than the wheels of your Schwinn bicycle back there!
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---> '''Osbourne''': If you ever carried out your proposed threat threat, you would experience such a shitstorm ''shitstorm'' of consequences consequences, my friend your friend! Your empty little head would be spinning faster than the wheels of your Schwinn bicycle back there!
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* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Most of the characters in the film. About everything.
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* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Most of the characters in the film. About everything. One example:
---> '''Osbourne''': If you ever carried out your proposed threat you would experience such a shitstorm of consequences my friend your empty little head would be spinning faster than the wheels of your Schwinn bicycle back there!
---> '''Chad''': ''(chuckles)'' He thinks it's a Schwinn.
---> '''Osbourne''': If you ever carried out your proposed threat you would experience such a shitstorm of consequences my friend your empty little head would be spinning faster than the wheels of your Schwinn bicycle back there!
---> '''Chad''': ''(chuckles)'' He thinks it's a Schwinn.
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* ForInconveniencePressOne: Linda has some trouble with this twice.
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* WhyWereBummedCommunismFell: Played with. After being fired, Cox tells his father (who also worked for the CIA) that he quit because after the ColdWar it turned into a bureaucracy. However, later on, nobody associated with the CIA can understand why Linda would think to sell Cox's memoirs to the Russian embassy.
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* WhyWereBummedCommunismFell: WhyWeAreBummedCommunismFell: Played with. After being fired, Cox tells his father (who also worked for the CIA) that he quit because after the ColdWar it turned into a bureaucracy. However, later on, nobody associated with the CIA can understand why Linda would think to sell Cox's memoirs to the Russian embassy.
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Maybe he was just afraid of getting caught.
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* DistractedByTheSexy: [[spoiler:Chad probably would've gotten away alive, if [[HoYay Harry hadn't left the door open when he took a shower]].]]
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* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Linda [[spoiler:sends Chad to Harry's house where he winds up dead, then sends Ted over to find what happened to Chad (who then ALSO ends up dea), then accidentally scares Harry into fleeing the country when she mentions Chad's disappearance in a conversation with him]].
to:
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Linda [[spoiler:sends Chad to Harry's house where he winds up dead, then sends Ted over to find what happened to Chad (who then ALSO ends up dea), dead), then accidentally scares Harry into fleeing the country when she mentions Chad's disappearance in a conversation with him]].
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* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Linda [[spoiler:sends Chad to Harry's house where he winds up dead, then accidentally scares Harry into fleeing the country when she mentions Chad's disappearance in a conversation with him]].
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* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Linda [[spoiler:sends Chad to Harry's house where he winds up dead, then sends Ted over to find what happened to Chad (who then ALSO ends up dea), then accidentally scares Harry into fleeing the country when she mentions Chad's disappearance in a conversation with him]].
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* ShowWithinAShow: ''Coming Up Daisy'', a RomanticComedy directed by [[EvilDead Sam Raimi]] and based on a book by [[NoCountryForOldMen Cormac McCarthy]].
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* ShowWithinAShow: ''Coming Up Daisy'', a RomanticComedy directed by [[EvilDead Sam Raimi]] Creator/SamRaimi and based on a book by [[NoCountryForOldMen Cormac McCarthy]].
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* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Linda [[spoiler:sends Chad to Harry's house where he winds up dead, then accidentally scares Harry into fleeing the country when she mentions Chad's disappearance in conversation with Harry.]]
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* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Linda [[spoiler:sends Chad to Harry's house where he winds up dead, then accidentally scares Harry into fleeing the country when she mentions Chad's disappearance in a conversation with Harry.]]him]].
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* CrapsackWorld
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* SickSadWorld
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* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Linda [[spoiler:sends Chad to Harry's house where he winds up dead, then accidentally scares Harry into fleeing the country when she mentions Chad's disappearance in conversation with Harry.]]
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[[redirect:BurnAfterReading]]
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-->''Report back to me when... I don't know... when it makes sense.''
-->--'''The CIA Superior'''
''Burn After Reading'' is a 2008 BlackComedy film written, produced and directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, starring JohnMalkovich, GeorgeClooney, TildaSwinton, Frances [=McDormand=] and BradPitt. When CIA Analyst Osbourne Cox is forced into retirement, he begins writing his personal memoirs; however, when an employee at his gym named Linda finds a CD containing said memoirs, she assumes that the CD contains sensitive information, and tries to hold it to ransom.
Anything then resembling a plot promptly collapses inwards as a LoveDodecahedron starts to connect several people, most of whom become ''[[ParanoiaFuel extremely paranoid]] or worse''; in fact, the "plot" is best summed up by critic James Christopher, who points out the plot "...is a total mistake. The characters are madly absurd. The film shouldn't work, but it does."
The film was so well received it was nominated for the "Best Comedy or Musical" and "Best Lead Actress in a Comedy or Musical" Golden Globes, and was named the second best film of 2008 by the A.V. Club's Noel Murray.
----
This film contains examples of:
* TheAlcoholic: And he absolutely will not recognize it.
* AlliterativeName: Linda Litzke.
* AmbiguouslyGay: [[GymBunny Chad]].
* AudienceSurrogate: The JKSimmons character. He's the only one in the movie to point out that basically nothing that has happened makes sense.
* BerserkButton: For Ozzie, having to deal with MORONS!!!
* BlackComedy
* BlatantLies: "I didn't retire, I quit!"
* BlindDate
* BloodyHilarious
* BuffySpeak
-->''"It's like these dates, and numbers, and dates, and numbers, and... numbers, and... I think that's '''the shit''', man."''
* ChekhovsGun: Literally, with Harry's gun.
* TheChewToy: Extreme examples with Ted and Chad. Just about everyone else in the plot is a self-centered sociopath who can't recognize they aren't the most important person in the universe. These two actually decide to help someone else. Think they'll be rewarded for their efforts, or even appreciated? Not in this plot...
* ClusterFBomb: Osbourne on multiple occasions, Harry when [[spoiler:he discovers Chad in his closet after he accidently shoots him]], and the CIA Superior at the end of the movie. Chad is more fond of the S-word, and uses a Cluster ''S-Bomb'' after he discoveres a cd of Osbourne's memoirs, which he think is top secret information.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Most of the characters in the film. About everything.
* CopBoyfriend: Sorta, with Clooney's character.
* TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch: [[spoiler:The ending. Osborne's and Chad's comas/deaths are quickly covered up by the CIA.]]
* DistractedByTheSexy: [[spoiler:Chad probably would've gotten away alive, if [[HoYay Harry hadn't left the door open when he took a shower]].]]
* DoggedNiceGuy: Ted
* FanDisservice: Seeing Linda and one of her mystery dates having sex. [[BrainBleach Do not want.]]
* GambitPileup
* GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler: Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt)]]
* GymBunny: Chad.
* HypocriticalHumor: Katie Cox hammers on a table to punctuate as she insists, "I don't ''hammer!''"
* IdiotPlot: [[InvokedTrope Done]] ''[[InvokedTrope intentionally]]'', not to mention hilariously.
* IHaveYourWife: Played with twice -- Chad and Linda try to pull this on Osbourne, whereupon HilarityEnsues. Later, Linda tries to invoke this with the Russians to secure Chad's release [[spoiler:not realizing that he's already been killed by Harry.]]
* InstantDeathBullet: Averted. The only time a character does die from a single bullet was shot in the head at point blank range. But Osborne and Ted both survive being shot, if only barely.
* IvyLeagueForEveryone
* JerkAss: Half of the cast, since there are those like the CIA director and Ted, the former of which is simply lost as to what's going on with the main characters, while the latter is a good, honest man who tries to act as a voice of reason. Then there's Chad, who putting it mildly, is simply too naive to know what he's getting involved in.
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Linda is quite possibly the most repulsive, selfish character in the entire movie who should have been charged at minimum with treason. She's also the only main character who comes out of the film with what she wanted.]]
** Course, she's not without her bright spots. She was genuinely concerned for Chad's whereabouts.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall:
-->'''Ted:''' It's not a phony-baloney Hollywood body.
-->'''Linda:''' That's right, Ted. I would be laughed out of Hollywood.
* LoveDodecahedron: To summarize:
** [[spoiler: Osbourne is married to Katie, has his memoirs stolen by Linda and kills Ted.\\
Linda is friends with Chad, is oblivious to Ted's attraction and later goes out with Harry.\\
Harry is married to Sandy, but having an affair with Linda and Katie, and kills Chad.]]
* LoveMakesYouDumb: The Hard Bodies Manager.
* MockGuffin: [[spoiler:The aforementioned "shit" is memoirs that were going to be published anyway. Or probably ''not'' published, as the movie suggests Malkovich's book isn't important or interesting enough that anyone would want to read it.]]
* MoodWhiplash: Just about every other scene.
** This was also the Coens' follow-up to NoCountryForOldMen, if you want to make this a meta-trope
* MrExposition: J.K. Simmons and the associate who keeps him informed of the progression of ''events'' (calling it a plot would give it too much credit).
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Goes hand-in-hand with KarmaHoudini. Several sympathetic and innately good characters get it worst in the end, while the most deplorable and morally bankrupt make out pretty well.
** To review: [[spoiler: Linda, who is terribly shallow and greedy, and thinks only of her own benefit gets the CIA to pay for her surgeries, and suffers no negative consequences to her actions. Harry, who is a complete sleazebag who constantly cheats on his wife gets served divorce papers, but otherwise gets away scott free to Venezuela. Osbourne is an alcoholic [=JerkAss=], but at least has good (if very misguided) intentions; he ends up in a coma and borderline braindead. Finally, the characters who get it worst are Chad and Ted, both sweet and sympathetic characters who just try to help; Chad is shot in the head in the second act, while Ted is shot in the arm ''and hacked to death with a hatchet.'']]
* NoodleIncident: Gym manager Ted's former career:
-->'''Ted''': Let me tell you something; I wasn't always a manager at Hardbodies. (shows Linda a picture of himself in priest garb) Fourteen years, a Greek Orthodox priest. Congregation in Chevy Chase.
-->'''Linda''': Well jeez, that's a good job!
-->'''Ted''': Mm-hm.
-->'''Linda''': What happened?
-->'''Ted''': Well... it's a long story. Anyway, in a lot of ways I'm happier now. My point is it's a journey.
* ObliviousToLove: Ted's love for Linda.
* OhCrap: Chad, when he hears Harry get something metal that clicks out of the drawer, then sees Harry's empty gun holster. You see him put two and two together just before Harry opens the closet and finds Chad inside.
* OnlySaneMan: The director. It speaks to [[IdiotPlot what kind of movie this is]] that he [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep isn't even given a name]].
** Also, Ted, the sole voice of reason amongst his colleagues at Hardbodies - and who is always ignored. Poor Ted.
* [[PrecisionFStrike Precision S Strike]]: Chad, to the most hilarious effect.
-->"I thought you might be worried...about the security...of your '''shit'''."
* ProperlyParanoid: Though [[WrongGenreSavvy not for the proper reason]].
* ReallyGetsAround: Harry.
* RedHerring: The secret machine that Harry's working on. Possibly the best rug-pull of the entire film.
* SecondHandStorytelling: The ending. And ''it works''.
* ShaggyDogStory: About 2/5 of the cast.
-->'''CIA Superior:''' What did we learn, Palmer?
-->'''Palmer:''' I don't know, sir.
-->'''CIA Superior:''' I don't fuckin' know either. I guess we learned not to do it again.
-->'''Palmer:''' Yes, sir.
-->'''CIA Superior:''' I'm fucked if I know what we did.
-->'''Palmer:''' Yes, sir. Hard to say.
-->'''CIA Superior:''' Jesus fucking Christ.
* ShootTheShaggyDog: A different 2/5 of the cast. In fact, the only character to get anything out of the story is [[spoiler: Linda, who gets the CIA to pay for her surgeries.]]
* ShowWithinAShow: ''Coming Up Daisy'', a RomanticComedy directed by [[EvilDead Sam Raimi]] and based on a book by [[NoCountryForOldMen Cormac McCarthy]].
** Also comes free with an OrphanedPunchline: "Would you come down from there?!" The laughs come from Laura and Harry getting a huge kick from it.
* SickSadWorld
* SpiritualSuccessor: ''TheBigLebowski'' was a send-up of the Raymond Chandler/noir staples in which buffoonish characters chase around a plot that really adds up to little, which is the point of the humor. ''Burn After Reading'' does the same thing, but with spy/political intrigue tropes.
* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: "She's a cold stuck-up bitch."
* SurprisinglySuddenDeath: [[spoiler:Chad.]]
* TheReveal: The movie does a ''fantastic'' job building up anticipation about the what Harry had been constructing in his basement with all those tools. Turns out [[spoiler: it's an sex-toy, namely a rocking chair that pushes a dildo up and down.]]
* TooDumbToLive: '''Everyone'''. Fore a more literal example, [[spoiler:Chad]].
* UnnecessaryCombatRoll: Harry [[spoiler: after he has already killed Chad]].
* VillainProtagonist: Osbourne Cox is, consistently throughout the film, the character who is wronged or victimized the most. Since all the other characters are screwing him over in one way or another (having an affair with his wife, blackmailing him), that makes them the villains...and the protagonists. May cross over with HeroAntagonist.
* WhyWereBummedCommunismFell: Played with. After being fired, Cox tells his father (who also worked for the CIA) that he quit because after the ColdWar it turned into a bureaucracy. However, later on, nobody associated with the CIA can understand why Linda would think to sell Cox's memoirs to the Russian embassy.
-->'''Osbourne Cox:''' "The ''Russians''? Why the fuck would she go to the Russians? Why the ''Fuck''!?!"
* WrongGenreSavvy: Several characters:
** Chad and Linda seem to think that they're in a cool spy film instead of a BlackComedy[=/=]farce.
** To a lesser extent, Harry, who [[spoiler:thinks he's killed a spy, when in reality he's killed a gym employee, before assuming that a divorce firm observing him on behalf of his wife is a secret agency investigating the murder. It's then brought up again when, still under the assumption that Chad is spy, Harry assumes that Linda is looking for him on behalf of his agency (and that several strangers in the park are keeping an eye on them too).]]
** Osbourne has a slightly subtler case. While there's no indication that his CD contains actual classified information or valuable secrets, Osbourne thinks his warmed-over ruminations about old news are the makings of a bestselling "Washington tell-all" book. He believes himself to be the wise Washington insider whose insights will be greatly valued, instead of the mid-level drunken asshole he really is.
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