Burn After Reading

This movie was ... interesting. I had seen previews for it and figured it was going to be one of those weird movies that I would probably like and my mom would think I'm crazy. That pretty much held true. I liked it, albeit it was a strange plot, but strange in a highly amusing way and with the perfect cast. If you haven't noticed yet, I'm very into the cast of movies, sometimes more than the plot of the movie itself.

John Malkovich plays a very strange character, and I suspect he's pretty strange in real life also. Tilda Swinton was perfect for the cold-hearted bitch part who doesn't even realize she is a cold-hearted bitch. Then there's Frances McDormand -- I have loved her ever since the first time I saw her in Almost Famous. Even though her character is a little bit loopy, she still manages to portray a typical, middle-aged woman. Also, George Clooney and Brad Pitt, both playing completely insane characters, atypical of the majority of their roles, but characters they should definitely consider doing again. They were hilarious and were really the driving force that made the movie amusing enough that it wasn't just plain strange. Finally, and I really wish he had a bigger role in this movie, there's J.K. Simmons. He is very quickly becoming my favorite older actor. If you don't know who he is look him up. I promise you love him too even if you're not aware of it yet.

So about the plot. Guy with "important documents" gets fired from a government job, someone finds a copy of these "important documents" and tries to get a reward for them. Failing at that, the finders take the "important documents" to the Russian Embassy just to eventually fail again. Amidst that is an affair, another affair, and of course the crazy, upbeat guy that works at the gym. It's kind of ridiculous, but amusing and refreshing. I recommend giving it a whirl.

Honestly though, the one thing I wondered most about this movie had to do with the main affair. He would drive to her house, and carry, in plain sight, from his trunk to the house, one of those foam triangle things that people use for sex. Considering what this man is building in his basement, it doesn't surprise me at all that he feels completely comfortable carrying around a sex cushion, for lack of a better term. It kind of made me wonder who, in reality, actually uses those things, especially once a couple has kids. Do they do anything fun like that or does it really turn into a pretty dismal sex life? And if they do still use things such as a pretty sizable triangular cushion, where would they keep it that the kids wouldn't  find it? It would get dirty in an attic, and be a pain in the ass to get down; a lot of people don't have basements, but if they do it probably turns into a playroom for the kids. I'm left with the option of a locked cabinet in your closet or something, or high on a shelf where kids can't see it, and just tell them they can't go in there because that's where you hide their Christmas presents or something, but that might just make them want to go in there even more. The whole thing seems pretty problematic. But it still makes me wonder, how do couples keep up a fun sex life after they have kids?