Brad Pitt: 5 More Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

2. Chad Fledheimer - Burn After Reading

Given the heavyweight status of both Brad Pitt and the Coen brothers it's perhaps surprising that they haven't collaborated with each other more frequently - indeed, their only film made together to date remains Burn After Reading, their 2008 comedy. Featuring an ensemble cast which includes Francis McDormant, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton and George Clooney, Pitt joins in a supporting role as a stupid, airheaded fitness instructor Chad Feldheimer, who becomes involved in a plot to blackmail a government agent over sensitive government documents (which are actually something far more benign). Pitt's part may be a relatively small one, but here he seems to be sending up his pretty boy persona - and the attendant dim-witted stereotype which goes along with it - for all it's worth. Brad Pitt isn't an actor renowned for tackling comedy and while Burn After Reading comes from the Coens' more fallow period, inferior to the best of their works, it remains an enjoyable, if uneven farce, with the added bonus of revealing Pitt's lighter side to his fans.