Never fear. Just because the Coen brothers won an Academy Award last year for "No Country for Old Men" doesn't mean that they've forgotten how to be silly.

Intricate and pointless, the Washington-based pseudo spy caper "Burn After Reading" brings the brothers very much back to their roots. It's not their best work, but the humor is satisfying, the story is entertaining and the cast is top of the line.

John Malkovich plays veteran CIA analyst Osborne Cox, who loses his job over drinking and anger-management issues. With nothing better to do, he decides to write a memoir, which sets off a bizarre chain of events.

A computer disk with parts of the memoir is accidentally left at a gym, and when two employees find it, they see a moneymaking opportunity. Frances McDormand ("Fargo") is Linda, who desperately needs money to fund some cosmetic surgery. Brad Pitt is Chad, her joyously idiotic partner in would-be crime.

Also involved are Tilda Swinton, as Cox's icy wife, who's having an affair with a philandering U.S. marshal, played with sleazy gusto by Pitt's "Ocean's" buddy George Clooney.

The characters are all flawed -- most of them not very bright -- and none of them are very sympathetic, save for Richard Jenkins's gym manager, who holds a candle for the oblivious Linda.

Malkovich is delightfully volatile and profane, particularly when presented with the two bumbling blackmailers. Pitt, likewise, is perfectly cast and seems to revel in the air-headed doofus persona. Swinton seems to be stuck in an ice-queen rut ("Chronicles of Narnia," "Michael Clayton"), but she does the role so well. And it's a kick to see her fooling around with her enemy from "Michael Clayton."

While it's fun to watch how the different story lines come together and interact, "Burn After Reading" often seems like an inside joke that we're not privy to. It's absurd and quirky -- hey, it's the Coens -- and the mixture of humor and violence isn't for everyone.

Also, while this movie certainly has an ending -- something viewers of "No Country for Old Men" are still waiting for -- it might not be satisfying to everyone. I thought it was funny and appropriate.

"Burn After Reading" isn't going to bring another Oscar, but it's another nice addition to the Coen portfolio.

Rental Recommendation: Never was bungled crime more fun than in "A Fish Called Wanda." Grade: A+.

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