Rating: 
Summary: Not Quite "Intolerable", Worthwhile For Fans
Review: The "screwball" comedy has died. But I enjoy seeing a really good one. I think my favorite might be "The Awful Truth" a movie that the Coen's seemed to have been inspired by. But unlike films such as "The Awful Truth" or "His Girl Friday", "My Man Godfrey" and "Bringing Up Baby" "Intolerable Cruelty" doesn't seem to have that charm. The movie is not as witty as those older movies. Granted I did enjoy the performances by George Clooney (who I think is in pitch perfect Cary Grant mode) and Catherine Zeta-Jones (in a role I guess 50 years ago would have gone to Irene Dunne or Myrna Loy). And I even consider myself a fan of the Coen brothers. I've seen almost all of their movies. But I've never felt their strenght lies in their wit. They make movies that have a quirky off-beat charm and originality to them. Sure many times I laugh when watching their movies. I enjoy "Miller's Crossing" and "The Man Who Wasn't There", but I'm not sure if the Coen's were actually the correct choice for such a project. As pointed out by others the material doesn't seem to suit their style of film-making. "Intolerable Cruelty" starts off with Donovan Donally (Geoffrey Rush) divorcing his wife, who was cheating on him. She goes after Miles Massey (Clooney) to represent her during the divorce, of course he wins the case for her. Fast forward, we meet Rex Rexroth (Edward Herrmann) who is married to Marylin (Jones). He is cheating on her. Only problem for him is, she finds out. He gets Massey to represent him and guess what happens. Yep, he falls for Marylin. It has the possibilities to make a great old-fashioned "screwball comedy" only the movie never quite reaches the hits it could have. I was left disappointed. Maybe I brought it on myself. Perhaps I walked into the movie with such high expectations that the movie never could have lived up to them. I was expecting to be enchanted by the wonderful witty tongue and cheek humor. I was prepared to love the characters and be amazed by the chemistry between Clooney and Jones. And I wanted to be able to tell everyone this is one of the best movies I've seen this year and one of the Coen's best. But if I said most of those things, I'd be lying. The movie leaves much to be desired. Now I don't want people to think I'm bashing the Coen brothers because I don't like them. That's not true. I am a fan. I think "The Man Who Wasn't There" was one fo the best films of 2001. "Miller's Crossing" is my favorite of their movies. I got a kick out of "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Fargo". But "Intolerable Cruelty" just doesn't quite deliver. It doesn't seem to have the fun movies like "The Awful Truth" or "His Girl Friday" had. It's admirable but nothing great. Bottom-line: Weak Coen brothers comedy. Doesn't seem as quirky as the rest of their films and doesn't compare to older "screwball comedies" of the past. Worthwhile for die-hard fans of Coen brothers.
Rating: 
Summary: Woeful unfunny movie! Truly awful!
Review: Considering the talent involved in this piece of rubbish I thought it would be decent. But it was a woeful and unfunny mess. Truly awful.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, very.
Review: This is well acted, has a nice storyline with a twist and some
serious philosophy at the end. Watched twice. Will buy DVD later. Zeta-Jones is very charming, delicious actually. Clooney has done a great job, better than most male romantic lead I've seen. Chemistry is good between them. I sat with a bunch of old ladies and they liked it, too.
Rating: 
Summary: IMO 1 OF THE BEST COMDIES!!!
Review: Ok, I've never seen any Coens Brothers films before, so I cant compare it to their other films but in my opinion it was GREAT and HILARIOUS!!!!! I cracked up like 100 times during the movie!No this movie, isn't deep like others but it really a good romantic comedy! Catherine is beautiful and George is such a hottie! In the begining you may think you went in the worng theater but George finally shows up! They are soo funny, George has an odd obsession with teeth, and Rex Rexwroth (One of Marilyns Husbands) has an obsession with trains! The plot has several twists that keep you interested, and hilarious dialouge! Every charecter is wonderful! Billy Bob Thorton play a oil guy (hem hem lol) Cedric The Entertainer plays a private investigator, Julia Duffy plays Marilyn's best friend and fellow divorcee. It is just so great that you totally have to see it!
Rating:
Summary: George Clooney: The New Cary Grant
Review: George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones are two exceptionally beautiful people. Seeing them together on the screen is great eye candy and almost enough to guarantee a hit movie. The ever-quirky Coen brothers have come up with a farce modeled after the old 1930's "madcap and zany" romantic comedies; the trouble is you need a scorecard to keep track of the action and it really isn't worth the trouble. Clooney plays Miles, a super-smooth, cynical divorce attorney who cleverly wins a case against serial-gold-digger Zeta-Jones. The two are (of course) attracted to each other; she appears to change her ways, and he becomes a believer in the power of love. They marry, and the twists and turns of the script have just begun. For a silly diversion, it's fine; the co-stars are dazzling. Clooney certainly takes on the mantle of the new Cary Grant, while Zeta-Jones is a combination of Scarlett O'Hara and Bette Davis. They're a pleasure to watch, indeed; I just hoped for more of a realistic plot and less farce. There is only one joke in the movie that caused real guffaws (it involves a gun and an asthma inhaler). The rest of the film is a lovely, sometimes confusing, sometimes silly battle of the sexes. I left the theatre not being able to remember anything about it, but having greatly enjoyed George Clooney's close-ups.
Rating:
Summary: Coen Farce
Review: There is a point in Intolerable Cruelty where George Clooney is giving a key note speech professing his love that is long enough to make you suspect the Coen brothers have "sold out" into schmaltz. Wrong! The film, in typical Coen style, dives into as many twists and turns as is needed in a good thriller. Fortunately, the film is a comedic farce. Clooney plays Miles Massey, the most prominent divorce lawyer in southern California. A man so good at what he does he has a prenuptial contract named after him. Massey's good and he knows it. Near the beginning of the film, he and his assistant, Wrigley (Paul Adelstein), are chatting about how boring Massey's life has become while a sweating client sits between them as the client's wife describes how she was used as a sex slave. Massey is that confident of himself. And confidence is what Clooney is all about. He is simply incredible. Swaggering around like a peacock while checking to make sure his teeth are clean, Clooney gives his best performance. There is no denying his charm here. Even when he's being a prig. Enter Marylin Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a woman who's only goal is to marry a rich man, catch him in some indiscretion and divorce him for half of what he's worth. She wants to be independent she claims. Massey falls for her completely. She is his match in game-playing and confidence and he must have her. Thus sets up the Coens' romantic comedy farce. It's bizarre at times, but humorous throughout as one coincidental incident sets-up another and turns all the characters on both of their ears. This is probably their fluffiest piece ever, but highly entertaining nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: You Fascinate Me
Review: Intolerable Cruelty is no doubt one of the Coen Brothers most commercial and light-hearted films to date. Yet it doesn't let you down with it's scintillating witty dialogue and ingeniously funny plot. George Clooney plays Miles Massey, a divorce lawyer at the height of his powers with immaculately white teeth which he endless checks. Massey must defend a new client against the gold digging and ravishingly beautiful Marylin Rexroth played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. Marylin and Massey strike up an instant romantic rapport despite their cynical outlooks on the institution of marriage and the phenomenon of love. Both are carefully guarded and watching sharply for the inevitable double cross they've come to expect. This is an incredibly enjoyable romantic comedy directed by two masters of cinema. Each carefully constructed gag doesn't fail to miss its target. Taking advantage of a big budget, the Coen brothers capture the sumptuously beautiful landscape of upper class California with beautiful shots. Apart from the leads, two of the best performances come from Billy Bob Thornton who plays a brilliant kind of double role and Irwin Keyes in his short-breathed assassin-for-hire role of Wheezy Joe. Far from the dark humor so brilliantly realized in Fargo and The Man Who Wasn't There, Intolerable Cruelty is nonetheless a hilarious satire about California marriage with plenty of delights.
Rating:
Summary: Coen Brothers have lost it
Review: What is wrong with the Coen Brothers for churning out a movie as generic and boring as this? They previously were known for brilliant films like Fargo, Big Lebowski and Hudsucker Proxy, but this film is an embarrasment to their legacy. How can the directors of Barton Fink direct this generic Hollywood drivel? It is heartbreaking to say the least.
Rating:
Summary: Not particularly a coen brothers movie
Review: While this film definitely had the same style of humor you would be accustomed to from a coen brothers film, it nevertheless cannot escape the feeling that this is a thoroughly generic (albeit entertaining) romantic comedy. I think Fargo is the best film of the nineties and while I love both Hudsucker Proxy and O Brother Where Art Thou? this film doesn't come close to the originality or unique style of those films; this basically could have been directed by anyone. The plot is extremely predictable and they even stoop so low as the slow-clapping-turns-into-cheers-after-a-surprising-speech routine.
This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the film. There are sections here that are very funny, and as a whole it is extremely entertaining. But I have come to expect a certain level of quality from a Coen film that this just doesn't live up to. Maybe I will be rewarded on repeat viewings, but I doubt it could recover from it's more serious defects, which on the contrary would seem to become more glaring over time. But Clooney is very funny, Zeta-Jones, playing a role somewhere between her roles in Traffic and Zorro, is perfect, and the credit sequence is without a doubt the best I've seen since Catch Me If You Can. But this is a modern comedy with little of the golden age charm Hudsucker had in spades. The best thing that would come out of this film is for the Coens to finally have their big hit that will allow them to make movies with a larger budget, perhaps do something they otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to get made. If you want a solid romantic comedy, you will not be disappointed. If you want another Coen brothers masterpiece, it is sad to say we have finally seen the day when that is no longer a guarantee.
Rating:
Summary: Great lighthearted comedy from Coen brothers
Review: I saw a test screening of "Intolerable Cruelty" last Spring and am impatiently awaiting the opportunity to see it again. For many years I've been a devotee of the Coen brothers' work and this is a welcome addition to their filmography. "Intolerable Cruelty" has elements which remind me of many of their previous films. This despite the fact that "Intolerable Cruelty" is the first production for which they did not write the screenplay. I don't blame them for this, its a fantastic script. The dialogue immediately struck me as having the extra wit, style, and layeres of subtlety common to Big Lebowski, and O Brother Where Art Thou? The Los Angeles setting and eclectic characters is reminiscent of Lebowski. However, Clooney's character, a prominent divorce attorney spews gab like Ulysses Everitt McGill, only with better credentials. Intolerable Cruelty, despite its title, is also much lighter than anything else by the Coens- except perhaps Hudsucker Proxy. Lighthearted even with much of the storyline devoted to social climbing wives and fidelity-impaired husbands. The entire cast gives wonderful performances. Catherine Zeta-Jones has regained her title as sexiest woman in my world after her femme-fatale performance here. Clooney is perfect for his fast-talking part. Billy Bob, Geoffrey Rush, and Cedric the Entertainer all have memorable minor parts. Paul Adelstein is great as Clooney's understudy sidekick. Intolerable Cruelty is not perhaps a troubling, deep cinematic masterpiece on the order of Miller's Crossing or Fargo. But it is a fantastic comedy with many instantly quotable lines ("You fascinate me") and subtely worth repeated viewings. With its big name cast this film is likely to once again return the Coen brothers to mainstream prominence. A most welcome prospect for such a strong film.
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