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Amazon.co.uk Review
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) skilfully outmanoeuvres gold-digger Marylin Rexroth (Zeta-Jones) 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, 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
Synopsis
George Clooney establishes himself as a true Hollywood movie star and heir to the Cary Grant throne in this hysterical dark romantic comedy from the Coen brothers. Clooney plays Miles Massey, an unhappy and lonely divorce lawyer who specialises in protecting the wealth of men who have been caught cheating by their wives. But when Marilyn Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones) walks into his office, he thinks he might be in love, leading to a thrilling cat-and-mouse battle of the sexes in which audiences never know who's scamming whom and whether true love is ever attainable--especially when there is a lot of money at stake.
Much has been made of the Coens' venture into mainstream movies, but Intolerable Cruelty fits in well in their pantheon of unusual and highly entertaining films, including The Hudsucker Proxy, The Big Lebowski, and Blood Simple. Clooney and Zeta-Jones light up the screen, and they get ample support from Billy Bob Thornton as a rich country bumpkin oil magnate, Julia Duffy as a poor little rich girl, Richard Jenkins as a low-rent lawyer, Edward Herrmann as a train-loving naughty boy, Geoffrey Rush as an eccentric television producer, Cedric the Entertainer as an outrageous private investigator, and the inimitable Irwin Keyes as hit man Wheezy Joe. Fast-paced dialogue, gorgeous settings, and Clooney's facial gestures combine for a whirlwind film that is both fun and funny. The soundtrack contains many Simon & Garfunkel songs, in two cases riotously performed by a folksinging priest and a Las Vegas chapel bagpiper.
Much has been made of the Coens' venture into mainstream movies, but Intolerable Cruelty fits in well in their pantheon of unusual and highly entertaining films, including The Hudsucker Proxy, The Big Lebowski, and Blood Simple. Clooney and Zeta-Jones light up the screen, and they get ample support from Billy Bob Thornton as a rich country bumpkin oil magnate, Julia Duffy as a poor little rich girl, Richard Jenkins as a low-rent lawyer, Edward Herrmann as a train-loving naughty boy, Geoffrey Rush as an eccentric television producer, Cedric the Entertainer as an outrageous private investigator, and the inimitable Irwin Keyes as hit man Wheezy Joe. Fast-paced dialogue, gorgeous settings, and Clooney's facial gestures combine for a whirlwind film that is both fun and funny. The soundtrack contains many Simon & Garfunkel songs, in two cases riotously performed by a folksinging priest and a Las Vegas chapel bagpiper.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
I confess to being a big fan of the Coen brothers, which is why I was surprised at my response to this film. With a cast to die for, it has all the makings of a terrific film. Unfortunately, that is about as far as it gets, as the cast cannot undo what has been done by a screenplay that is seriously flawed, due to its inability to decide what type of film it should be. Unfortunately, it looks as if the director could not make up his mind either, producing a film that is neither fish nor fowl.
At first, I thought that it would be a screwball type of comedy, with George Clooney in the role that would have gone to Cary Grant in the golden age of filmmaking. Then, it seems to take another direction altogether, as if it were supposed to be a romantic comedy with a dark side or simply satire gone awry. Who knows? The Coen brothers surely don't. The film lacks a total surety of identity that kills it, despite the stellar cast. It is a flop, pure and simple.
The plot line is a fairly basic one. It is about a slick, greedy and grasping, unscrupulous matrimonial attorney (George Clooney), the kind that gives all lawyers a bad name, and a greedy and grasping gold digging beauty (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who gives all beautiful women a bad name. Their paths cross, and the chase is on. Unfortunately, the viewer does not give a rat's behind about either one of them. There is nothing that would ingratiate them to the viewer, due to the two dimensional, leaden screenplay to nowhere in which laughs are few and far between.
If you are a die hard Coen brothers fan, as I am, do yourself a favor and, rather than buy this film, rent it first. You will thank me for this advice, once you have seen this film.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Sorry for using a qoute from this film as my title, but if you didn't get it this is just another reason to see this film.
This another exmple of the cinema magic by the Coen brothers taking a standard film genre turning it on it's head and completely twisting it with their usual flair, eye for great images and endlessly qoutable dialogue.
I noticed in one of the early reviews someone rated it 1 star cause it was't the corny romance they wanted, well it is romantic, cliched, but in the best possible way. This is short, sharp and very often laugh out loud hilarious, when i saw this in the theatre people where in tears laughing, and i was on the verge.
This isn't aromantic comedy, it's a screwball mayhem Clooney is excellant, Zeta-Jones does what she does best (looks pretty), Cedric the Entertainer although implausible named is fantastic, and minor characters like The Baron von Epsy and Wheezy Joe nearly steal the show away from them.
I can't recommend it highly enough
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Intolerable Cruelty has to be the funniest film I've seen all year! Fans of the Coen Brothers will instantly love this fast paced, witty and surreal piece of cinematic genius, brilliantly directed, fantastically scripted and incredibly intelligent. While the idea of Clooney and Zeta-Jones fogging up the screen in a romantic comedy turned me off so much that I missed this in the cinema, now I've seen it I can't believe I had so little faith in Joel and Ethan. The Coen's didn't write the story, so this is sadly no Big Lebowski or Fargo, and some of the characters are a tad unsubtle (Cedric the Entertainer's private dick, the half-dead head lawyer and Clooney's sidekick come to mind) but they did have a hand in the screenplay, and therefore the dialogue sparkles with the typical Coen shine. I think the best scene for this is during Zeta-Jones' first divorce, as Clooney, his sidekick and this Client, in strained whispers, discuss their experience with the Judge ("Have you sat before this Judge before?","No, the Judge sits first..."). The cockpit scenes in Airport spring to mind...
The plot wriggles and squirms, involves and discards without ever falling into the trap of becoming too slow, sentimental or boring and various recurring jokes and camera shots from other Coen brothers movies will keep the viewer entertained even after the 6th or 7th run through. The only thing that becomes stale is Zeta-Jones' lack of acting ability, but she's so drop-dead gorgeous that it doesn't really matter.
Definitely one to buy, treasure and make sure your friends see!
The plot wriggles and squirms, involves and discards without ever falling into the trap of becoming too slow, sentimental or boring and various recurring jokes and camera shots from other Coen brothers movies will keep the viewer entertained even after the 6th or 7th run through. The only thing that becomes stale is Zeta-Jones' lack of acting ability, but she's so drop-dead gorgeous that it doesn't really matter.
Definitely one to buy, treasure and make sure your friends see!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not what I expected but overall, not bad
When I purchased this, I expected more of a romcom. I guess this might qualify, but if it does, it is with a difference! Read more
Published 5 months ago by Dodster
Frothy fun
Around 20 years after their brutal debut Blood Simple, the Coens decided to make a screwball/sophisticated romantic comedy along the lines of those that Cary Grant used to star in. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Ian Williams
The title describes how i felt
George Clooney is a divorce attorney who has just tricked Catherine Douglas out of half the money she was expecting out of a divorce cue lots of funnyness, not. Read more
Published 12 months ago by ekb
Something for Everyone
This film really has something for everyone. It's a blackish comedy with quite a few laugh-out-loud moments, has George Clooney for the chicks and the gorgeous Catherine Zeta... Read more
Published 14 months ago by E. Smith
"...It's A Challenge..."
*** THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE 2011 BLU RAY REISSUE ***
PRINT:
1080p High Definition Widescreen, Aspect 1. Read more
PRINT:
1080p High Definition Widescreen, Aspect 1. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mark Barry, Reckless Records, London
Intolerable Cruelty DVD 2003
This settlement will be my passport to Wealth, Independence, and Freedom. So states Marylin Rexroth (Catherine Zeta Jones) at a dinner date with the opposing Attorney Miles... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Derek Vernon-morris
Simple RomCom given the Coen/Clooney treatment
Yes, it's a RomCom. Yes it follows a basic template of man meets woman, falls for her and spends the film chasing her. Read more
Published 21 months ago by boz
The title's a bit of a giveaway
If it had been called "A Really Enjoyable Night Out" I might have had grounds for asking for my money back.
Published 23 months ago by chingford_girl
Very funny
Well worth watching. George Clooney is excellent and very funny. The court scene is hilarious!
Published on 13 April 2010 by A. Bywater
One of my favourite films ever
This film received disappointing reviews and I have never been able to understand why. It has all the usual Coen brothers ingredients of husbands and wives plotting against each... Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2009 by PB
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