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"I saw an ad in the paper. "No-fault divorce. Two week divorce without a lawyer". Made me sick to my stomach. No-fault divorce."
The Coen Brothers established a solid reputation for themselves by exploring (and essentially nailing) a vast assortment of diverse genres. With Intolerable Cruelty the filmmaking duo have yet again explored a different style of film - this production being your standard romantic comedy with themes of divorce and love that are so common in our times. Unfortunately this is among the weakest films that the Coen Brothers have created. Even with innovative ideas and concepts they appear incapable of avoiding the clichés and conventions of the genre.
Miles Massey (Clooney) is a high profile divorce attorney with an indestructible reputation. Miles has everything - a formidable win record, an impressive client list, an ironclad marriage contact named after him and the respect of his peers. For a fee, Miles will gladly twist the facts in favour of his client to assist them in wriggling out of their fiscal responsibilities. Miles' latest client is the outrageously wealthy Rex Rexroth (Herrman) who was caught (on film) being an unfaithful husband. Rex's wife Marylin (Zeta-Jones) elegantly plans to sue Rex, receive a phenomenal alimony, and comfortably enjoy a wealthy independence. There's just one problem: Miles. Owing to his work, Marylin leaves the courtroom with nothing. Not to be outdone, Marylin formulates a scheme to get revenge on Miles. Underhanded strategies, deceptions and an indubitable attraction intensifies as Marylin and Miles square off in a classic battle of the sexes.
Despite being written by a talented duo who rarely produce a faulty product, Intolerable Cruelty is nothing more than your average romantic comedy. After the first 10 minutes it's possible to predict the film's ending. Although running at a brisk 95 minutes, the film is an unnecessarily long trip into clichés and poorly written gags that merely postpone the foreseeable conclusion. The film is destined to leave a Coen admirer both cold and unsatisfied. If you worship the brothers as cinematic messiahs...this film will only taint your image of the pair.
I have no complaints regarding the dazzling bunch of talented actors who got involved in the film. George Clooney's performance is filled with charisma and persuasive verbosity. Clooney is one of the finest actors of the contemporary era. I don't worship the man, but I frequently enjoy his work. This film features a Clooney who completely perfects his role. Catherine Zeta-Jones is luminous as an on-screen partner for George Clooney. As a duo, Clooney and Zeta-Jones work extremely well together and frequently emanate comedic energy. They share some witty lines of dialogue between them that supply some of the film's strongest moments. Also in the supporting cast there's a mediocre Cedric the Entertainer and some minor roles skilfully played by actors like Geoffrey Rush and Billy Bob Thornton.
The film is equipped with a steady supply of quality production values - everything looks bright and attractive with a pleasant atmosphere as an accompaniment for the gorgeous visuals.
Intolerable Cruelty isn't groundbreaking or brilliant like other films created by the talented Coen Brothers. This film can be emphatically added to the limited list of their misfires. It's pleasant enough to keep you mildly entertained for a couple of hours and there are some laughs. Perhaps there are sufficient laughs to keep you entertained but you won't conclude the film with overly positive thoughts in your head. It's dangerously bordering on mediocre and terrible. I guess this is proof that even the most talented bunch of filmmakers can miscarry. All in all, the film's title accurately describes how cruel it truly is to sit through this movie.
5/10
