Burn After Reading- Movie Review
Burn After Reading Movie Review
- Though ‘Burn After Reading’ is as much a nightmare as it is a comedy. The movie has a gripping storyline, that will keep your interest straight through out the movie. The movie definitely has a different storyline and concept. Above all I guess the main positive point about the movie is its actors. Character actors who have done impeccable performances in their roles, I mean beside others, we were not expecting Brad Pitt, in a role like this. But then there are no doubts that he has done a good job. The movie also has good comedy and some very good action sequences. Overall, it is a good movie and I think everyone should watch it, at least once.
- One of the best dark comedies I have seen after ‘Arizona’. A very gripping story and superb performances by Brad Pitt and John Malkovich. It is a typical Coen brothers movie. I enjoyed the movie, but I have a suggestion, all those who don’t like dark comedies and linear plot should not go for this one.
- I have generally liked all Coen brothers movies. But surprisingly enough, I didn’t like this much. No doubt that the acting was really good. Brad Pitt, Malkovich and Clooney, all of them did an amazing job. But beside acting I didn’t like the storyline. I felt that it was too slow and was being dragged. I would simply like to sum up by saying that it had interesting concept and good acting, but it was poorly executed.
- It is a good movie, only if you understand the dark comedy.
- Brad Pitt was the best part of the movie. I went to see the movie because of him and he was very good in his new role. Amazing work Brad, you were too good. John Malkovich and George Clooney were also good in their roles.
Tropic Thunder Movie Error
Tropic Thunder Movie Error
When Tugg is in his room after giving his “Simple Jack” performance for the Vietnamese, he splashes water on his face to remove his make-up. Cut camera angle to him looking up when his friends burst in, and his face is completely dry.
When Speedmen is by himself in the rain, he puts down the I-pod and picks up the crap stick with the cap on. The next shot, the cap is off.
When Kirk Lazarus tricks Tugg Speedman into giving him the map, in one shot one of the shotgun shells on his back in his artillery belt is out of place and not lined up with the rest of them. In the very next shot, all the shotgun shells are lined up and in place evenly.
In some of the earlier shots from inside the drug maker’s camp, you can see a set of high-tension power lines running across the sky, but in the establishing shots, it’s only jungle.
At one point in the jungle one of the men calls Jack Black by his real name “Jack”, instead of the character name “Jeff”
When the actors (minus Tugg Speedman) have set up camp for the night, close up shots of Kirk Lazarus show him petting the water buffalo, while all other shots show the water buffalo completely out of arm’s length. Lazarus does not move around in this scene to make this possible.
Tropic Thunder Movie Memorable Quotes
Tropic Thunder Movie Memorable Quotes
Kirk Lazarus: Yo, assholes, this motherfucker’s dead!
Tugg Speedman: [picks up severed head] I think I can spot a prop head when I see one!
[people around him gag while he plays with the head]
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Kirk Lazarus: I’m a lead farmer, motherfucker!
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Les Grossman: Now I want you to take a step back… and literally fuck your own face!
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Kirk Lazarus: I don’t read the script. The script reads me.
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Kirk Lazarus: [to Tugg Speedman] What do you mean, “you people?”
Alpa Chino: [stares at Lazarus, and then gets angry] What do *you* mean, “you people?”
Kirk Lazarus: Huh?!
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Tugg Speedman: There were times while I was playing Jack where I felt…
[pause]
Tugg Speedman: …retarded. Like, really retarded.
Kirk Lazarus: Damn!
Tugg Speedman: In a weird way I had to sort of just free myself up to believe that is was ok to be stupid or dumb.
Kirk Lazarus: To be a moron.
Tugg Speedman: Yeah!
Kirk Lazarus: To be moronical.
Tugg Speedman: Exactly, to be a moron.
Kirk Lazarus: An imbecile.
Tugg Speedman: Yeah!
Kirk Lazarus: Like the dumbest mother fucker that ever lived.
Tugg Speedman: [pause] When I was playing the character.
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Tugg Speedman: [as Simple Jack] Mama, I’ll see you again tonight in my head movies. But this head movies makes my eyes rain!
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Kevin Sandusky: Tugg. Tugger. You’re the last piece of the puzzle buddy. We need you! Your men need you. Are you with us?
Tugg Speedman: [pause] I’m a rooster illusion.
Kevin Sandusky: Fuck it. We’ll deal with him later.
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Kirk Lazarus: Cover me, limp dick fuckers!
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Jeff Portnoy: [to Four Leaf] You grew hands?!
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Tugg Speedman: This is insane. Are you really going to abandon this movie? We’re supposed to be a unit!
Kirk Lazarus: Suck my unit.
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Cody: Damian, what’s the dealie dude? Are we gonna blow up this tree line or what? Tuk-Tuk and Kim got the blue balls and I wanna let em squirt it for a go….Peter, can he hear me?
[one of the men bring a box to Cody]
Cody: That’s C-4, dipshit. Put that back. I said a detonator! I need some dudes who speak American god dammit! He’s making a fucking sweater here, I’m tryin’ to put Tiger Balm on this jungle’s nuts.
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Studio Executive Rob Slolom: Wow. 8 Oscars, 400 million dollars at the box office, and you saved Tugg Speedman’s career.
Les Grossman: I couldn’t have done it without you.
Studio Executive Rob Slolom: Really?
Les Grossman: No, dickhead. Of course I could. A nutless monkey could do your job. Now, go get drunk and take credit at all the parties.
Studio Executive Rob Slolom: I wouldn’t do that.
Les Grossman: Ah… joking.
Studio Executive Rob Slolom: Ah, there he is! Funny. You’re a funny guy.
Les Grossman: Yeah. But seriously, a nutless monkey could do your job.
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Jeff Portnoy: [shoves drugs in guards' faces] Take the you bastards! Oh hilarious!
[the guards drop to the ground]
Jeff Portnoy: Let’s move! We only have 16 hours before they wake up!
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[Jeff, Kirk, and Kevin have just learned Alpa is gay]
Jeff Portnoy: Hey, Alpa, if you come over here and untie me, I will literally suck your dick, right now.
Alpa Chino: Man, what did I tell you? I love tha pussy!
Jeff Portnoy: I’ll cradle the balls, stroke the shaft, work the pipes, and swallow the gravy.
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[Tugg has just killed a panda]
Tugg Speedman: I killed one, Rick… the thing I love most in the world.
Rick Peck: A hooker. Oh Jesus, you killed a hooker!
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Tugg Speedman: [the boy hands him a box, he removes the cloth from the box and looks inside] A little twig-man oscar. I ‘m going to call you half-squat, and you can call me…papa
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Tugg Speedman: [as Simple Jack] You make my pee-pee maker t-t-tingle.
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Kirk Lazarus: Same thing happened to me when I played Neil Armstrong in Moonshot. They found me in an alley in Burbank trying to re-enter the earth’s atmosphere in an old refrigerator box.
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Kirk Lazarus: I’m just like a little boy, playin’ with his dick when he’s nervous.
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Cody: [after blowing up a row of palm trees with napalm] Mother Nature just pissed her pantsuit!
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Rick Peck: I got the TiVo!
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Alpa Chino: That’s the theme song for the Jeffersons!
Kirk Lazarus: Man, just cause it’s a theme song don’t make it not true.
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Cody: I don’t know what it’s called; I only know the sound it makes when it *lies*!
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Les Grossman: Speedman is a dying star. A white dwarf headed for a black hole. That’s physics. It’s inevitable.
Studio Executive Rob Slolom: We’ve been handed an incredible opportunity here, Peck.
Les Grossman: The universe….is talking to us right now. You just gotta listen.
[turns on Flo Rider's "Low" and begins to dance to the beat]
Les Grossman: See, this is the good part, Pecker. This is when the job gets fun! Ask….and you shall receive!
Studio Executive Rob Slolom: [dancing along] Right…
Les Grossman: You play ball….we play ball. I knoowwww…..you want the goodies!
Studio Executive Rob Slolom: Welcome to the goodie room!
Les Grossman: You paying attention? I’m talking…..G5, Pecker! That’s how you can roll. No more frequent flyer bitch miles for my boy! Oh yeah! Playa….playa! Big dick playa!
Studio Executive Rob Slolom: Swinging past ya knees!
Les Grossman: Big dick, baby!
Studio Executive Rob Slolom: Yep.
Les Grossman: [turns off the music] Or….you can grow a conscience in the next five minutes and see where that takes you.
Rick Peck: Now let me get this straight. You want me to let my client of 15 years, one of my best friends, die in the jungle alone, for some money and a G5?
Les Grossman: Yes.
Rick Peck: [pause] A G5 airplane?
Les Grossman: Yes….and lots of money….playaaaa!
[turns on the music and dances again]
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Tyra Banks: You have no real family, you’re on the wrong side of 40, you’re childless and alone. Somebody close to you said: “One more flop, and it’s over.”
Tugg Speedman: [pause] Somebody said they were close to me?
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Byong: We no get money yet. Price now 100 million. You pay now, or tomorrow Simple Jack Die!
Les Grossman: Great. Let me get this down. 100 million… Oh, wait! I got a better idea. Instead of a hundred million, how about I send you a hobo’s dick cheese? Then, you kill him. Do your thing, skin the fucking bastard. Go to town, man. Go to town! In the mean time and as usual, go fuck yourself.
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Scorcher Preview Narrator: Now, the only person who could make a difference before, will make a difference again!
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Jeff Portnoy: [heading towards an ox] I need to bite its hide… and wear its stomach like a unitard.
Kirk Lazarus: Ain’t nobody gonna do nothin!
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Cody: [rigging a bridge with explosives] That’s it! I’m going into catering after this!
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Kirk Lazarus: Everybody knows you never go full retard.
Tugg Speedman: What do you mean?
Kirk Lazarus: Check it out. Dustin Hoffman, ‘Rain Man,’ look retarded, act retarded, not retarded. Counted toothpicks, cheated cards. Autistic, sho’. Not retarded. You know Tom Hanks, ‘Forrest Gump.’ Slow, yes. Retarded, maybe. Braces on his legs. But he charmed the pants off Nixon and won a ping-pong competition. That ain’t retarded. Peter Sellers, “Being There.” Infantile, yes. Retarded, no. You went full retard, man. Never go full retard. You don’t buy that? Ask Sean Penn, 2001, “I Am Sam.” Remember? Went full retard, went home empty handed…
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Alpa Chino: No, I always wanted to. I guess I just never had the courage to ask. It’s complicated.
Kirk Lazarus: Nah! It’s simple as pie man, you plant your feet on the ground, you look her square in the eyes you say “Hey! baby, you and me’s goin’ on a date, that’s in the story”….What’s her name?
Alpa Chino: …..Lance
Kirk Lazarus: You say ‘Listen here, Lance’…Lance?! What the fuck did I just hear? Lance?!
Kevin Sandusky: Did you just say Lance?!
Alpa Chino: No! No, I didn’t say Lance. I said Nance.
Kevin Sandusky: It sounded a lot like Lance.
Alpa Chino: Dammit, I’m Alpa Chino! ‘I Love Tha Pussy’, aight? Lay yo ass back down and look at the stars.
Kirk Lazarus: When you wrote ‘I Love Tha Pussy’, was you thinking about danglin your dice on Lance’s forehead?
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Tropic Thunder Movie Goofs
Tropic Thunder Movie Goofs
At one point, Tugg says one actor may win a Teen Choice Award, and claims that “they’ll slime you and everything!”. Teen Choice Award winners get surfboards. The Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards show is famous for sliming winners.
When Tugg Speedman talks to Kirk Lazarus, the backpack strap on his right shoulder is sometimes over the carabiner and sometimes beside it.
In the opening moments, we are told the location is “South East Vietnam.” Later the specific setting is Quang Tri. During the Vietnam War, Quang Tri was South Vietnam’s northernmost province. After reunification, it was in the middle of the country. Either way, Quang Tri is not in eastern Vietnam.
When Tugg Speedman talks to Kirk Lazarus, the backpack strap on his right shoulder is sometimes over the carabiner and sometimes beside it.
During one of the Les’ rampages via teleconference, his wedding ring disappears and reappears a couple of times.
Before Kirk’s group gets ready to set up camp after splitting up with Tugg, Jeff is seen holding his M60 by its strap. In the next shot, he’s holding the weapon itself in both arms. In the next shot, he’s holding it by the strap again.
After Tugg Speedman’s performance of ‘Simple Jack’, he is in a room cleaning off his makeup. When he wipes his face with a wet towel, most of the white is gone. However, when he turns around to meet little half-squat, it has reappeared.
The Gap only sells merchandise under its own label; therefore, Alpa Chino could have not sold a line of “Alpa Chino chinos” at The Gap, as he claims.
When Lazarus is talking to Tugg about ‘Simple Jack’ he claims that an actor should never go “full retard” and mentions Peter Sellers (”Being There”), Dustin Hoffman (”Rain Man”), Tom Hanks (”Forrest Gump”), and Sean Penn (”I Am Sam”) as examples. He claims that Sean Penn is the only one of those to go “full retard” and come away without an Oscar after being nominated. However, Peter Sellers did not win an Oscar for his role in “Being There” as well.
When Tran says “Ni sher ben don Jack,” he continues to say it as he turns to his crew/gang members, with “Ni” meaning “You.” He should have said, “Tah sher ben don Jack,” “Tah” meaning “He/She.”
When Jeff Portnoy sees the mountain of Heroin he runs over and puts his fingers up by it. If you look at his fingers you can clearly tell that he has already dipped his hands into the fixture; possibly from an earlier take.
In the scene where Pecker is talking to Tugg about the TiVo, Tugg’s slider phone alternates between open and closed.
Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) accidentally calls Jeff Portnoy’s character by his real name “Jack” (Jack Black) during the scene in which he falls on the ground to get sick (behind the rock).
Tropic Thunder Movie Trivia
Tropic Thunder Movie Trivia
The title is a play on “Tropic Lightning,” nickname of the 25th Infantry Division which did see action in Vietnam and which Oliver Stone served in.
“Fats” Portnoy was written with Jack Black in mind.
The poster for “The Fatties” behind Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) in the trailer features the names of a few of the film’s actual crew members: costume designer Marlene Stewart, editor Greg Hayden, director of photography John Toll, and screenwriter Justin Theroux. In addition, the poster contains the DreamWorks Pictures logo, the Dolby Stereo logo, and a fictional composite of several MPAA ratings (reading “PG - Parental Guidance - under 11 requires accompanying parent or guardian”).
The movie drew criticism from several disability groups for the “Simple Jack” subplot, regarding a movie-within-a-movie in which Stiller’s character portrays a mentally disabled man. Clips of the fictitious movie are shown, and re-enacted by Stiller, while scenes between Downey Jr. and Stiller drew particular scorn for their repeated use of the word “retard”. The producers withdrew a “Simple Jack” website, and proposed altering the movie in response to a special early screening for the disability groups in question, but did not follow through on the suggestion. According to co-writer Etan Cohen, the scenes were not meant to derive humor from mental disability itself, but to satirize emotionally exploitative depictions of mental disability in movies such as Forrest Gump (1994) and Rain Man (1988), and the actors who take these roles.
The character of Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) was originally written as Irish. It was changed to Australian, when Robert Downey Jr. said it would be easier for him to improvise in an Australian accent.
Downey was very reluctant to take the role because he felt wearing the make-up to look African-American was offensive. But Downey later accepted the role because he liked the script and wanted to work with Stiller and Jack Black.
According to Ben Stiller, in an interview with Playboy, Jack Black filmed most of this movie with bruised ribs.
Shipped to some theaters under the name “Capricorn“.
Burn After Reading Movie Memorable Quotes
Burn After Reading Movie Memorable Quotes
Harry Pfarrer: Go around the corner, we’ll do it in the back.
Katie Cox: You’re so coarse.
Harry Pfarrer: Back of the car… not the rear entry situation…
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CIA Officer: We’ll … interface with the FBI on this dead body.
CIA Superior: No, no. God no. Burn the body. Get rid of it.
CIA Officer: OK.
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[repeated line]
Harry Pfarrer: Well, hello!
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[repeated line]
Chad Feldheimer: [excited] Oh, my God!
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Harry Pfarrer: Ya wanna come downstairs? Ya like surprises?
Linda Litzke: [cheerful] Well, I’m always open to new experiences.
Harry Pfarrer: [walking downstairs] Yeah, I tell ya. I saw an ad for this in a gentlemen’s magazine. Twelve hundred bucks. I’m lookin’ at this thing and I think, ‘You gotta be kiddin’ me.’ I’m a hobbyist. Thing’s basically nothing but speed rails. I figure I’d go down to Home Depot and whip this up myself for… a hundred bucks.
Linda Litzke: What is it?
Harry Pfarrer: What is it?
[pats the seat of the mechanism]
Harry Pfarrer: You sit down there, make yourself comfortable, put your feet in the stirrups, and…
[cycles the mechanism]
Linda Litzke: Oh my god.
[awed whisper]
Linda Litzke: That’s fantastic.
Harry Pfarrer: It’s something isn’t it? Hundred bucks, all in - not counting my labor, and the… cost of the dildo. Those things aren’t cheap. See, I’d like to…
[pause]
Harry Pfarrer: …I’m not set up to mold hard rubbers.
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[repeated line]
Osborne Cox: What the fuck…?
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Harry Pfarrer: [after shooting Chad] What the fuck? I just killed a fucking spook!
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Osborne Cox: Give me the CD!
Chad Feldheimer: As soon as you give us the money, dickwad!
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Chad Feldheimer: You think it’s a Schwinn!
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Chad Feldheimer: Appearances can be… deceptive.
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Linda Litzke: I’m really looking for a guy with a sense of humor.
Chad Feldheimer: That guy, wait, that guy wasn’t bad.
Linda Litzke: Him?
Chad Feldheimer: No before.
Linda Litzke: Him?
Chad Feldheimer: Umm, he might not be a loser…
Linda Litzke: How can you tell?
Chad Feldheimer: That’s a Brioni suit.
Linda Litzke: Yeah?
Chad Feldheimer: Shit yeah!
Linda Litzke: Does he look like he would have a sense of humor?
Chad Feldheimer: Looks like his orthodontist has a sense of humor.
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Osborne Cox: Sorry, I don’t happen to know my account number because unfortunately I don’t sit around all day trying to memorize the fucking numbers! Moron!
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[repeated line]
Chad Feldheimer: [raspy voice] Osborne Cox?
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CIA Superior: What did we learn?
CIA Officer: Uh…
CIA Superior: Not to do it again.
[pause]
CIA Superior: I don’t know what the fuck it is we *did*, but…
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Katie Cox: [while Harry is cutting carrots] Think that’s enough carrots?
Harry Pfarrer: [angrily] …What?!
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Chad Feldheimer: [on the phone] Osbourne Cox? I thought you might be worried…about the security…of your shit.
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CIA Superior: So what did we learn from this?
CIA Officer: Um… I don’t know.
[pause]
CIA Superior: I don’t fuckin’ know either.
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CIA Superior: Report back to me when it makes sense.
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Osborne Cox: [on phone] Tell Dr. Cox I have the new keys!
[Osbourne hangs up, and picks up a hatchet]
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Harry Pfarrer: Who the fuck do you work for, you fucker?
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Chad Feldheimer: Osborne Cox?
Osborne Cox: Yes, this is Osborne Cox, who the *fuck* are *you*?
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[after having found a CD they believe contains files of the CIA]
Linda Litzke: You should put up a note in the ladies locker room.
Chad Feldheimer: Put up a note? “Highly classified shit found: Raw intelligence shit, CIA shit?” Hello, anybody lose their secret CIA shit? I don’t think so!
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