After such film accomplishments as No Country For Old Men, The Big Lebowski and Fargo, the Coen brothers really fudged this one up.

What starts as a slow, meaningless movie ends as a slow, meaningless movie. Jokes are few and far between, but some of them work really well. Brad Pitt plays a retarded gym employee and his parts are spectacular. Most of Pitt's humor comes from his movements and facial expressions. George Clooney is also quite humorous but mostly due to prop comedy and not his lines. John Malkovich plays a bitter old man who "quits" his job in the government. His bitterness provides some laughs but overall his character is underutilized and gets lost in the mix halfway through the movie. Frances McDormand is the biggest downfall of this movie; her lines continually fail and slow the movie down. All Tilda Swinton ever does is play the cold, heartless bitch and that is why she gives the best performance in this movie.

The storyline itself is ridiculous and circular. At the end of the movie, you wonder what you just watched and realize there wasn't any real content. The whole movie could be condensed to a thirty minute television show and probably would be much better that way.

This movie will not change your life or perspective; people will not be discussing the intricacies of this movie at the water cooler on Monday. Save your money and don't see this movie. Avoid the movie theaters this weekend and find something else to do. You can thank me later.