Wow. Just wow. Coming off their magnum opus No Country for Old Men, I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know whether to expect a Ladykillers/Intolerable Cruelty backslide, or another Raising Arizona/Big Lebowski. We got something very close to the last two and even kind of close to Barton Fink. I'll explain in a minute after a brief word.

I've followed the storied history of the Coens for as long as I can remember. I've seen every single movie they've ever made, some multiple times, and own a copy of just about each one. And I can safely say that they are up there as favorite directors/writers/filmmakers. In general terms.

I was nervous to see this. I loved No Country for Old Men. I didn't know how they could follow that. And instead of something dark and dreary, we got something very funny. But also very dark. This film is a study in deceit and espionage.

It's all very weird.

And I don't want to spoil the surprises. So I will say this. It's not hysterical. It's not really that zany. It's not really that nutso screwball comedy. But it is very similar to Raising Arizona and Big Lebowski in that the main characters are all a little oft-kilter, the men and women living in this world seem to be realistic but also hyper-realized, and it just completely knocks you on your ass when the funny stuff starts happening.

Let's break it down: Clooney is awesome in this. He is freaking out as he is a cheating spouse and is essentially scum, but he feels like he is being followed, and his freak-out at the end during a date with McDormand is worth the price of admission alone. As is the machine he's building for his wife in the basement that he saw in a gentlemen's magazine. Let's just say it looks almost like a bobsled seat, but there's a dildo involved and some really humorous bits coming from this.

Brad Pitt is in the zone in this movie. He's playing a moron. A completely down to Earth idiot who just fits in so well with all of the other bumbling idiot characters the Coens have created. He's like Donny's big brother, one who just wants everybody to like him and just really wants to keep in the best shape that he can. And his goofy hair and goofy smile and hilarious mannerisms completely will charm the pants off every girl in the crowd. And that's if they didn't know he was Brad Pitt.

McDormand is outstanding. She's playing a woman aging who doesn't like her body and feels she's gone as far as she can go with it. She's an odd duck in just about everything, but put her in her husband's films, and I'll be happy. No worries here. She fits in very very well, as do Richard Jenkins and just about everyone else.

Most people say this is John Malkovich's movie, and while he is superbly entertaining (and seeing him flip shit on the world around him once things start to go down the shitter for him), he isn't the best part. The best is J.K. Simmons, the man who we all know and love from various bit parts and especially as J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man movies. He never leaves the comfort of his desk, but the two or three scenes he does show up in are hilarious. Laugh out loud hilarious. Him being a sector chief for the CIA and being the man they all go to for answers, and him not having any answers or knowing what the hell is going on, just make this so completely weird and strange that you can't help but laugh.

And that's the point.

While I love the way the film ended, and I know most of their movies have almost a magical wrap-up to them (just think back and a lot of them do), I can't help but feel like I was left wanting more about every character involved. I wanted to know more about Jenkins, Simmons, McDormand, Pitt, and Clooney's characters. More about Swinton and Malkovich. I wanted to know more.

And that is the sign of a great director/writer team. They leave you wanting more. But in this day and age of instant internet gratification, I just want to be in their brains and get to see what they see and know what they know. I want to be a part of this world and it's just so utterly strange to think about. So it leaves you wanting more and it leaves you feeling completely weird about everything. And it gives you a slight tingle on the back of your neck, like people are watching you at every turn.

I really don't need more reasons to be paranoid.

Just go see it. If you like to laugh, if you like spy movies, comedies, Brad Pitt or George Clooney or the Coens, or you just want to sit in a movie theater and have an experience where you actually are left feeling fulfilled by the movie you've just watched, check this out. It's still in theaters, and looks much better than anything opening this week and in the upcoming weeks. So give it a shot. You'll all but certainly laugh.