Summary
Although it is not their best-known collaboration, the Brad Pitt and George Clooney movieBurn After Readingrecently arrived on Netflix and it’s one of the pair’s most underrated projects. Brad Pitt and George Clooney have appeared in a string of movies together throughout their screen careers, including three outings oftheOcean’s 11franchise. The pair will soon team up again forthe exciting action comedyWolfs, a buddy comedy about two lone wolf fixers who struggle to work together when they are hired for the same job. This makes the timing of one of Netflix’s new arrivals perfect.
Pitt and Clooney’s history of screen collaborations began in 2001 withOcean’s 11, a remake of 1960’s Rat Pack crime comedy caper of the same name. Before the duo reunited for 2005’s sequelOcean’s 12, Pitt and Clooney collaborated again on 2002’s satirical thrillerConfessions of a Dangerous Mind. This Sam Rockwell vehicle was written and directed by Clooney, who starred in the movie and gave Pitt a small role. The duo graced the screen again in 2007’sOcean’s 13and had one other collaboration before both stars played small roles inJohn Krasinski’s 2024 fantasy comedyIF.
Burn After Reading Is Now On Netflix - Why It’s An Underrated Pitt & Clooney Movie
Clooney and Pitt’s Pitch Black Satirical Comedy Wasn’t Appreciated Upon Release
2008’sBurn After Readingis not only a great showcase for Pitt and Clooney’s superb comedic timing, but also one of the sharpest political satires of the new millennium. Since the blackly comic thriller was released only a year after the deservedly acclaimedNo Country For Old Men,Burn After Reading never gained the same critical attention as some of thebest Coen brothers movies. However, the scathing satire is overdue a reappraisal. With a starry cast that includes Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, JK Simmons, Tilda Swinton, and Richard Jenkins,Burn After Readingis an underrated gem.
The plot follows a pair of gym workers who attempt to profit off a bitter former CIA analyst’s memoirs when they mistake his first draft for priceless political intel. This results in an increasingly silly, bloody shaggy dog story that makes a perfect companion piece toNo Country For Old Men.Burn After Reading’s acerbic satirical critique of the American intelligence community wasn’t appreciated upon release, possibly due to the many lazy satire movies that flooded multiplexes after the invasion of Iraq. This is a shame sinceBurn After Readingis a pointed piece of political commentary that has only gotten better with age.
The Upcoming Release of Wolfs Makes A Burn After Reading Re-watch Necessary
Since theupcomingOcean’s 11prequelwon’t feature Clooney or Pitt, there is no better time for viewers to revisitBurn After Reading. Judging by its trailer, 2024’sWolfswill be a funnier, less brutal comedy that leans into action, whereas the Coen Brothers effort was more interested in paranoid satire. WhileWolfslooks like a lot of fun, viewers who want to see the darker side of Pitt and Clooney’s shared sense of humor will need to seek out this underrated effort instead. Those who do watchBurn After Readingwill be rewarded with one of Brad Pitt and George Clooney’s best-kept secrets.
Wolfs Is An Action Comedy From The Two Iconic Stars
2024’s upcomingWolfstraffics in some of the same themes asBurn After Reading, with a plot that centers on a mixup involving high-profile career criminals. However, whereBurn After Readingwas a dark satire,Wolfsis a playful action comedy by director Jon Watts. Best known for helming the MCU’sSpider-Mantrilogy, Watts hasn’t returned to the big screen since 2021’s massive successSpider-Man: No Way Home.Wolfstells the story of two professional fixers who struggle to work together on the same cleanup job, only to become embroiled in increasingly convoluted gangland power struggles as the plot progresses.
Judging by the trailer, the biggest problem that Pitt and Clooney’s two fixers face is Austin Abrams’ inconvenient young tagalong. While many ofPitt’s upcoming moviesare more self-serious, the trailer forWolfsmakes it clear that the two hardened antiheroes will spend much of the story ferrying around a young goofball who has gotten caught up in the movie’s drug/ crime-centric storyline. Watts’ movie looks set to contrast the mismatched character comedy between Pitt, Clooney, and their young charge with brutal shootouts, fast-paced car chases, and violent confrontations with criminals hunting the movie’s heroes.
Wolfslooks like it could blend the offbeat dark comedy ofthe Coen Brothers movieswith the more mainstream blockbuster appeal of theOcean’s 11franchise. If Watts’ screen CV is anything to go by,Wolfscould be a major financial success while still maintaining a little bit of edge. Before hisSpider-Mantrilogy, Watts directed the acclaimed thrillerCop Carand that gripping movie proved he wasn’t afraid of darker stories. Although the first trailer forWolfsfeatures many laughs, it also promises plenty of gunplay, violence, and a plot centered on a drug deal gone awry.
Burn After Reading Is A Great Sign For Wolfs
The Coen Bros Movie Proves Pitt and Clooney’s 2024 Collaboration Can Succeed
The fact thatBurn After Readingwas a critical and commercial successproves thatWolfscould be huge for both actors. The upcoming action comedy looks like more of a conventional crowdpleaser thanBurn After Reading, which was too dark to become aBig Lebowski-esque cult classic but too goofy to be seen as aNo Country For Old Men-style masterpiece. WithWolfs, Clooney, and Pitt can take some ofBurn After Reading’s acerbic dark wit and add it totheOcean’s 11franchise’s successful blend of tense thrills and character comedy. This would be an ideal combination.
Brad Pitt and George Clooney Movies
Ocean’s 11
83%
$450,728,529
80%
$33,013,805
Ocean’s 12
55%
$362,989,076
Ocean’s 13
70%
$311,744,465
78%
$168,167,798
49%
$138,029,000
TheOcean’s 11movies proved that Pitt and Clooney had charisma and chemistry in spades, whileBurn After Readingshowed that they were surprisingly versatile. As a paranoid US Marshall and a brainless bro respectively, Clooney and Pitt departed from their usual brand of charming blockbuster hero for the Coen Brothers movie.Wolfscould learn from this, taking some of their goofy, self-effacing characteristics fromBurn After Readingand adding them to the pair’s slick, coolOcean’s 11personae. Thus,Burn After Readingcould make Pitt and Clooney’s next collaboration even more promising after years of waiting for their reunion.
