History YMMV / BurnAfterReading

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The MockGuffin that starts the whole plot is a CD full of data (Cox would probably have a flash drive (ironically easier to miss) or a cloud now) and the CIA director's reaction to Cox supposedly threatening to sell his information to the Russians (before being told that Cox only had access to totally worthless data) being "why?" cements the film before TheNewTens.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: A frequent criticism of the movie from it's detractors is that it's hard to really care about what happens since the whole point is how random and nonsensical the events happening are, and the people they're happening to are either repugnant and unlikeable, too stupid to really identify with, or barely appear and seem just as confused as the audience.

** The unnamed FBI director is also popular for being an OnlySaneMan who is completely befuddled by everything that's going on and just wants an explanation for this whole mess, [[AudienceSurrogate just like much of the audience]].

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The idea that anyone would sell American secrets to the Russians is openly mocked by several characters as absurd. At the time the film was produced, American-Russian relations were, if not friendly, cordial. Come TheNewTwenties this plot point [[HarsherInHindsight doesn't seem so absurd]].
** On the other hand, everyone who comments on it knows that Osborne's transcript isn't anything even remotely resembling state secrets, so the confusion still makes sense.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The film's score by Music/CarterBurwell has gained significant recognition, even being described as [[ParanoiaFuel the most paranoid-sounding]] film score since ''The Anderson Tapes.''

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The film's score has gained significant recognition, even being described as [[ParanoiaFuel the most paranoid-sounding]] film score since ''The Anderson Tapes.''

* BrokenBase: ''The'' premier one among Coen Brothers fans. It's either an [[DarknessInducedAudienceApathy annoying, obnoxious film with a plot that stops making sense after twenty minutes that has a cast that is so thoroughly unsympathetic that you just want them gone]], or an underappreciated absurdist masterpiece with a ridiculous plot that is entirely the point of the film, and a cast full of people whose extreme shittiness is an essential part of the film's humor because it feeds the schadenfreude that the film is based around.

* BrokenBase: ''The'' premier one among Coen Brothers fans. It's either an annoying, obnoxious film with a plot that stops making sense after twenty minutes that has a cast that is so thoroughly unsympathetic that you just want them gone, or an underappreciated absurdist masterpiece with a ridiculous plot that is entirely the point of the film, and a cast full of people whose extreme shittiness is an essential part of the film's humor because it feeds the schadenfreude that the film is based around.

* HollywoodHomely: Several characters are meant to be unattractive or unhappy with their looks. While Frances [=McDormand=] is not really a classical beauty, she certainly doesn't need all the plastic surgery her character Linda wants. The hairstyles are often to blame: Angelina Jolie claims that the only time she was not sexually attracted to Brad Pitt was when she visited him on the set and saw him in-character as Chad.

* AmbiguouslyGay: [[GymBunny Chad]].

* HollywoodHomely: Several characters are meant to be unattractive or unhappy with their looks. While Frances [=McDormand=] is not really a classical beauty, she certainly doesn't need all the plastic surgery her character Linda wants. The hairstyles are often to blame: Angelina Jolie claims that the only time she was not sexually attracted to Brad Pitt was when she visited him on the set and saw him in-character as Chad.

* BaseBreaker: ''The'' premier one among Coen Brothers fans. It's either an annoying, obnoxious film with a plot that stops making sense after twenty minutes that has a cast that is so thoroughly unsympathetic that you just want them gone, or an underappreciated absurdist masterpiece with a ridiculous plot that is entirely the point of the film, and a cast full of people whose extreme shittiness is an essential part of the film's humor because it feeds the schadenfreude that the film is based around.
* HollywoodHomely: Several characters are meant to be unattractive or unhappy with their looks. While Frances [=McDormand=] is not really a classical beauty, she certainly doesn't need all the plastic surgery her character Linda wants. The hairstyles are often to blame: Angelina Jolie claims that the only time she was not sexually attracted to Brad Pitt was when she visited him on the set and saw him in-character as Chad.
* TheWoobie: Chad and Ted.

* BaseBreaker: ''The'' premier one among Coen Brothers fans. It's either an annoying, obnoxious film with a plot that stops making sense after twenty minutes that has a cast that is so thoroughly unsympathetic that you just want them gone, or an underappreciated absurdist masterpiece with a ridiculous plot that is entirely the point of the film, and a cast full of people whose extreme shittiness is an essential part of the film's humor because it feeds the schadenfreude that the film is based around?

* AwesomeMusic: The film's score has gained significant recognition, even being described as [[ParanoiaFuel the most paranoid-sounding]] film score since ''The Anderson Tapes.''