The cynical, but incredibly funny Burn After Reading is sure to divide audiences. But then, I'd expect nothing less from the Coen Brothers. Coming off their Oscar winning No Country For Old Men, the sibling auteurs have switched gears with this smart comedy about dumb people.

The goofy plot revolves around two dopey gym employees (wonderfully played by a quirky Frances McDormand and a spectacularly clueless Brad Pitt) who try to blackmail an ex-CIA agent after his mysterious computer disc lands in their unsuspecting laps. Malkovich plays his inscrutable G-man with his patented hard-bitten glee. What's on the disc is virtually irrelevant, just the fact that everyone desperately wants the disc, is what propels the hilariously intricate plot.

Like many Coen Brothers efforts, the chaotic Burn After Reading is a love it or hate it kind of experience. Personally, I loved it. This sly, darkly funny take on spy and espionage thrillers – think The Bourne series with a bit of American Beauty thrown in for good measure – is full of big laughs, and even bigger shocks. There are a couple of monumentally unexpected moments in this picture that I won't soon forget. Shockers that rival even the climactic wood chipper scene in Fargo.

Now some might argue, that there's no one really worth rooting for in this picture. True, most of the characters here are either incredibly flawed or dumb as a friggin' post. Be it big mouth psycho John Malkovich, cocky adulterer George Clooney, ice queen Tilda Swinton, air-head Brad Pitt, or a seemingly delusional Frances McDormand, none of these characters emerge as your typical movie protagonist, but then that's part of what makes the film so damn funny. Of the entire cast, it is the sweet natured Richard Jenkins that emerges as the only real sympathetic character in the piece and as expected, he gets the short end of the stick.

Burn After Reading is dark humor at it's finest, and each stellar cast member brings his A-game including an uproariously funny J.K. Simmons who, in two or three short scenes, manages to leave an indelible impression.

There are several memorable scenes to speak of in Burn After Reading. Brad Pitt's closet sequence, George Clooney's homemade gift, McDormand's search for eternal beauty, Malkovich's scuffle with dim bulb Brad. The list goes on and on and on.

It strikes me as odd that so many viewers have been quick to suggest that Burn After Reading is pointless. A good comedy makes you laugh, and there's no shortage of laughs here. True, this is a rather unconventional comedy. Unconventional in the same way that No Country For Old Men was an unconventional drama, but that's always been The Coen Brothers' mantra. They've never been interested in taking their characters in obvious directions, and that's one of the many attributes I so admire about them. Burn After Reading isn't necessarily their masterpiece, but it's another solid effort from two film makers who've really been hitting their stride as of late.

As was the case with the much cherished The Big Lebowski, I suspect that a few years down the road, Burn After Reading will be looked upon as a cult classic