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Because it is a comedy, the Coens' new film, "Burn After Reading," is something of a palate cleanser for the brothers after the rigors of the Academy Award-winning "No Country for Old Men." But it's still a Coen brothers film, which means it is about as dark and nihilistic as comedies are allowed to get before the laughter dies bitterly on your lips.

A bleakly funny spoof on spy films as well as a melancholy riff on despairing lives, "Burn After Reading" has the usual bunch of self-absorbed characters trying to extricate themselves from the confusing messes they've gotten themselves into.

With Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich and Tilda Swinton playing the leads, misunderstandings are the name of the game. Like all spoofs, the movie is erratic and not always on target, but there are character comedy moments here, particularly involving Pitt and McDormand, that are hard to resist.

Although the movie is as much a nightmare as it is a comedy, helping with the laughs are the film's exceptional group of unsung character actors who deliver impeccable performances in minimal roles－Jeffrey DeMunn as a cosmetic surgeon, J.R. Horne as a divorce lawyer and J.K. Simmons as a CIA big shot. When Simmons' exasperated character says of the story, "Report back to me when it makes sense," he's summarizing this archetypal Coen venture as well as anyone can.

VOCABULARY      词汇积累

 

1. rigor  (n.)   困苦；严酷
He was subjected to the rod in all its rigor in this school
他在这所学校里受尽了杖体罚之苦。

2. nihilistic  (adj.)   虚无主义的；无政府主义的
例句请见本文。

3. melancholy  (n.)   忧郁；抑郁
You must rid yourself of this melancholy mood.
你一定要摆脱这种忧愁情绪。

4. self-absorbed   自私自利的；沉思默想的
例句请见本文。

5. to extricate  (v.)   脱离；逃离
No one could extricate him from difficulty.
没有人能够使他从困难中摆脱出来。

6. to play the lead   领衔主演；扮演主导角色
He's playing the lead in the new play.
他在新戏中担任主角。

7. erratic  (adj.)   反复无常的；古怪的
Weather patterns should also become more erratic.
气候形式会变得更加反复无常。

8. impeccable  (adj.)   无缺点的；无懈可击的
As your company's representative,your phone manners should be impeccable.
作为公司的代表，你打电话的举止应该是无可挑剔的。

9. exasperated  (adj.)   恼怒的；恶化的
He was exasperated at the negligence of the officials.
他对这些官员的疏忽感到恼怒。

10. archetypal  (adj.)   原型的；典型的
例句请见本文。