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Review

Intolerable Cruelty

Director

Ethan Coen

Joel Coen

Year

2003

Rating

Reviewed by

José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris

Review date

Monday, November 17, 2003

To be fair, not every movie the Coens have made is great, yet you can bet that every single one of them is at least different and interesting. This year they went into unknown territory for them: the romantic comedy. Of course, it’s a twisted one, and one that offers plenty of pleasures.

Miles Massey (George Clooney) is the most successful lawyer in town, winning even the most unlikely of cases. One day Marilyn Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones) comes into his life as the wife of a very rich man he works for, and he falls instantly in love with her. Too bad she has other plans after the divorce settlement is over.

Intolerable Cruelty is all Coens in substance and style. This could arguably be called the most commercial and mainstream of their movies, yet the brothers are always present in the little details. It’s so funny to see how every two or three scenes a new bizarre character enters the movie to bring its own kind of weird charm. From the enslaved old lady to Marilyn’s best friend to Heinz the Baron Krauss Von Espy to hilarious detective Gus Petch.

But it is the cat-and-mouse game between Miles and Marilyn that holds this movie together. Clooney and Zeta-Jones exude charm and chemistry. You never know what they’re going to do next and their scenes are always a pleasure to watch, full of wit and sarcasm. I specially loved the one in which they go out to dinner right after meeting each other.

Even when the movie is a bit predictable and safe, it is also fully entertaining, with black humor sparking all the way throughout.

I can’t picture anyone else but Clooney playing this role. He plays a Cary Grant-esque character with a lot of energy and pizzazz. He is also not afraid to make a fool of himself. I loved the way he kept watching his teeth everywhere he went. Meanwhile Catherine Zeta-Jones bursts out of the screen like a siren of immense proportions. And I’m talking about her beauty and personality. She could melt hundreds of men with just a look. Delicious. And then there’s Billy Bob Thornton in a memorable small yet hilarious appearance.

One of the funniest movies of the year.

“That’s her job. You should respect that.”

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Other reviews of Intolerable Cruelty (2003): Groucho

Review

Intolerable Cruelty

Director

Joel Coen

Year

2003

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Tuesday, November 25, 2003

Miles Massey (George Clooney) is a brilliant L.A. divorce attorney who has never lost a case. He’s in perfect control of his professional life, and goes with the flow, letting his talent talk for him, and always showing a picture-perfect smile. Whenever anyone comes to him in case of divorce, he manages for their spouse to be left penniless, unless of course, a good prenup agreement was signed (and if it’s his, it’s unbreakable). So, when he prevents gorgeous Marylin Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones) from snatching her ex-husband’s fortune, she begins a quest to become a millionaire no matter what it takes, or who is to be left in bankruptcy. Miles is mesmerized by her wit and beauty, and can’t help but fall in love while witnessing her cruel methods. In fact, he becomes as vulnerable as those he’s been making fools of throughout the years.

I can’t express how disappointed I am with how terribly the Coen brothers handled this project. I know nothing of its conception or making, I’m talking about the final product. The Coens, as it is known, are absolutely unpredictable in respect to the kind of movies they’ll make in the future, so this time they went for a very strange turn: a normal movie. So one would think a fan of the Coens like me disliked this movie because it isn’t extremely bizarre or strangely satiric as others are, but that’s not the case with me. The case with me is, this movie is bad by itself, but the fact that the great Coens made it, makes it even worse.

I suppose they wanted it to be a satire of rich and superficial people, and also a romantic comedy with original twists. But as a comedy, it makes laugh quite scarcely, and while the two starts make their best (especially Clooney, in a Cary Grant-esque screwball turn), the story keeps letting them down. The characters of Miles and Marilyn are so cynical that it’s hard to care for them, so the twist and turns don’t matter, because you know that in the end they’ll still be the same kind of bad people, and frankly, you won’t give a damn. If there were some change or evolution to be found it would be nice, but no, the story plays on auto-pilot and the never-changing characters just go with it like they have no choice.

The result: Despite a striking direction, you can’t get no satisfaction. In fact, there are moments when it’s boring, there are moments when it’s dull, and there are moments when it’s practically, well, intolerable.

Special mention goes to Billy Bob Thornton however, who’s hilarious in a brief role. Geoffrey Rush is welcome as well, also in a bit role that opens and closes the movie.

Nevertheless… Skip it!

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Other reviews of Intolerable Cruelty (2003): Morris