Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

Clooney channeled Cary Grant in this film. I truly can't understand how many people have it 1 or 2 ratings! I watch it every time it shows up on cable and we quote it often "the silly, silly man". If people thought it was going to be a drama, they just don't get this hip level of humor. The biggest quotes we use all the time are from the waitress at the diner; but I can't repeat them here. And I don't know how many times I've been offered a slaw cup and said "what the hell" since seeing this. Don't believe the bad ratings. It's fun.

A beautiful gold digger matches wits with a shrewd Beverly Hills divorce lawyer who is increasingly attracted to her. Intolerable Cruelty has an interesting Cast and a talented pair of directors unfortunately the script is terrible and just from the opening scene i knew what i was getting into and it was bad as hell. The perfomances were cheesy, the characters cartoonish and as hot as Zeta-Jones might be she can't save the movie from being a waste of time. (0/10)

The reason why the Coen Brother's films are so translucent is partially because of the innovative universes that they have created over the years. Each of them churn out on its own axis effectively to dish out the stories with an even-flowing story matched by plots filled with logic.Seldom has the Coen Brothers made any bad films and are the most creative and most respective collaborators in the Hollywood industry. Some of them might even be qualified as classics one might be held in our minds till eternity. Sadly even the great ones don't always score perfect games. One of the worst films that th Coens worked on was the 1994 big-budgeted "The Hudsucker Proxy". Although it huge on budget in making this movie and was penned by the ever confident Sam Raimi, the movie was plagued by mix of clever satire and the botched Capra corniness. The only saviour to that debale was the witty and clever lines from Jennifer Jason Leigh.Sadly all that clever wittiness in 2003's "Intolerable Cruelty" isn't featured here. The fault isn't entirely at blame with the Coens, but three other writers chimed in and the result was very awkward and very low in terms of energy and poise. There's no telling where one writer stops and where the next one proceeds. If that isn't enough for you to bring this film down, it as also produced by Brian Grazer. It seems that everything he touches turns to dust. Even on his better films, the Coens can still make better film even on their worst occasions. George Clooney stars as Miles Massey, a slick, debonair hot-shot divorce lawyer from Los Angeles who has the appeal that would make Cary Grant weak in the knees. He gets put to the test when his new client a gold-digging ex-wife Marilyn (Catherine Zeta-Jones) walks into his office and now he wants to get on with her romantically. Similar to the 1937 Cary Grant film "An Awful Truth", where in that movie the dialogue is at the most improvised, the scenes were unbearably laughable and Grant was charismatic to the max. In "Intolerable Cruelty", it's nowhere as funny or appealing in any shape or forum. Which is a shame because the Coens are capable to generate hilarity. Think of the opening scene where a rich man (Geoffrey Rush) comes home one day only to discover that the pool boy's truck is located on his driveway. These scenes have been done a myriad times before and better with the best comig from David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive".It breaks my heart to say this, however there are many scnes that drag on too much and that is rare coming from the Coen Brothers. In one particular situation, Miles was at a convention giving out a rather dour speech to his fellow lawyers. Out of nowhere he rips the speech to shards and just randomly improvises a heartfelt speech about love an prosperity and it sounds just as equally mundane. Clooney does try and give his character that much-needed appeal in the similar veins to his performance in "O Brother Where Art Thou"?, Sadly, he just can't old a candle to his performance here than the movie that I aforementioned. If there were some good qualities it would have to come in the amazing cinematography from Roger Deakins and that Zeta-Jones never appeared so stunning in a long time, sadly her character was too chilling, your appeal to her fades away rapidly. It comes to the point that we don't care less if she's the winner or loser in her situations she's up against.There a few Coen traits that are found in "Intolerable Cruelty". Most of it comes from the character of hired killer Wheezy Joe (Irwin Keyes) who provides us with some breath-taking scenes where humour is most needed. I have to ask myself, does this film meet the standards of other comedies even though it was a huge disappointment knowing that it was directed by two great American directors like the Brothers Coen? Certainly, just don't come in uplifting your expectations because it fits right in with other bad comedies like "Dickie Roberts" and "Duplex". It's not the worst film I ever saw, but still utterly forgettable. Even good directors can still make stinkers.

Great Movie. In our times this is the perfect story of our society that is only materially satisfied. The two most cynical people possible to imagine a jilted woman and a cynical materialistic and egotistical divorce lawyer who does not believe in love and an equally cynical woman who under the power of love fall for each other. Wonderful movie excellent comedy acting by George Clooney and Catherine Zeta Jones. If you have a sense of humor George Clooney will bring it out of you in this one. This movie made me go back and watch every comedy movie that George ever made. There is nothing better than a great comedy to make you forget your everyday problems and remember how ironic life is.