Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

A sleek George Clooney and a seductive Catherine Zeta-Jones square off magnificently in the divorce comedy Intolerable Cruelty. The plot is simple: Lawyer supreme Miles Massey (Clooney, Out of Sight, Ocean's Eleven) skillfully outmaneuvers gold-digger Marylin Rexroth (Zeta-Jones, Chicago, Traffic) when she divorces her wealthy husband--and she sets out to get revenge. But this movie comes from the creative minds of the Coen Brothers (Fargo, Raising Arizona, O Brother Where Art Thou?), and so Intolerable Cruelty includes a Scottish wedding chapel in Vegas, an asthmatic hit man, fluffy-dog-stroking European nobility, and a legendarily unbreakable pre-nuptial agreement. Still, it's pretty restrained for the Coens; smooth and consistent, it never stumbles as disappointingly as their movies can, but also never quite hits the operatic pitch of their best work. It's still damn funny, though, with top-notch performances from the leads as well as Geoffrey Rush, Cedric the Entertainer, and Billy Bob Thornton. --Bret Fetzer Amazon.com

Lower your expectations and enjoy it

Considering that the majority of reviews are 1 star, one would think this was "Are We There Yet?" or "Cat in the Hat" (the Mike Myers version) awful. Please people. I realize that movie goers have come to expect brilliance from the Coen brothers at every turn, but this is far from the wretched mess so many people claim.
It reminds me of the movies from years long past that were simply charming, cute, and easy to digest. Add the sharp wit, predictable slapstick, and fondness for romantic sentiment of this filmmaking team and you have a better than average comedy with fine acting from all present, especially the main pair of Zeta-Jones and Clooney. If this movie were sixty years old and starred Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, you'd have few complaints.
While it might be hard to do, try to watch this movie and not think about who made it and maybe you'll enjoy it more if you approach it with much lower expectations.
One dvd note: the version I have did not have the issue of forced preview screenings. I went straight to the main menu and watched the movie without previews. Additionally, the outtakes are odd and largely a waste of time, unless you wish to watch Paul Adelstein deliver the line, "Everybody eats berries" about twenty times and/or watch a loop of old railroad film footage.
June 15, 2008

Coen Brothers: Film # 10

I enjoyed this film as I found it entertaining and fun, but I was surprised. I was surprised because there was nothing much more to the film. Being that this film is a Coen Brother's film, I guess I was just expecting a little more umph to this film and in the end I just never got it. Sure there were fun scenes, which could only be from a Coen Brother's mind. There was also plenty of twists as well, but for me the twists were obvious and practical next steps to the storyline.

In the end, and as I really recall the film now, I did like this film a lot, but there was just something missing. What this "something" is, I just can't put my finger on.
May 14, 2008

Clever

I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a very clever movie and well done. Just when I thought I had figured it out, it would take a turn in another direction. April 13, 2008

I Love A Funny Movie..

..and this is a funny movie.

"Now Mrs Gutman, do you know a man named David Gonzales?"
"Well, he's the tennis pro at the club.."
"The tennis pro? Then why are your letters addressed to him 'Dear David and Goliath'?

Clooney is gleeful and effervescent as divorce attorney Miles Masey; I don't know how he manages to give such beleivable (and humorous) little touches to the different characters he plays in the Cohen movies. He really becomes a different person, and it's great to see him in yet another comedic role (last one I saw was in Oh Brother).

"I've invested 5 good years to my marriage to Rex," says Catherine Zeta Jone's character, "and I've finally nailed his *ss fair and square. Now I'm going to have it stuffed and mounted and have my lady friends come over and throw darts at it... this divorce means money and independence. That's what I'm after. What are you after, Miles?"

Miles - "Well, I'm a lot like you.. just looking for an *ss to mount.."

There are lots of tongue and cheek lines, with quick unknowing delivery, that had me more than chuckling.

Billy Bob Thornton plays a great Howard D. Doyle, of Doyle Oil (the name!), and there are lots of great performances and good scenes. It wraps up nicely too.

How could anyone not like this movie? I've seen a lot of Cohen Bros movies and in my humble opinion, this has to be one of their best. Better than Barton Fink, a lot better than the not so Great Lebbowski, better than Blood Simple. If I was gonna recommend a Cohen Bros movies, this would be right up there with Fargo and O Brother. Obviously not dark like "Fargo", or with as grand a scope as "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou", giving "Intolerable Cruelty" anything less than 5 stars is intolerable cruelty! Cool country-blues take on Simon and Garfunkel in the end too (S & G numbers throughout actually). This movie had me cracking up and left me feeling good. February 27, 2008

Cynical fun

A cynical, fun movie. It is dependent on the idea of marrying people for the money that you will receive in the eventual divorce settlement (50% in California). Maybe better as a rental than a purchase as I am not sure that I will watch it again. January 31, 2008

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