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Intolerable Cruelty (Widescreen Edition) Customer Reviews (7 - 9 of 74 Reviews)

Curiously uninvolving
INTOLERABLE CRUELTY is oddly tepid fare from the Joel and Ethan Coen, the siblings responsible so many hilariously quirky comedies (FARGO; O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?; THE BIG LEBOWSKI; RAISING ARIZONA). All the elements for a good, cynical screwball comedy seem to be in place here, so it's difficult to tell exactly where things went wrong.

Miles Massey (George Clooney) is a successful and ruthless divorce attorney who meets his match in the beautiful and equally ruthless divorcee Marilyn Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones), accumulator of wealthy spouses. When romantic sparks fly between them, both find their feelings of venerability more than a little unsettling; love may be in the air, but so is the strong stench of distrust.

One of the biggest problems with the film is that sparks DON'T fly between Clooney and Zeta-Jones. Both have strong personalities and both possess a keen sense of comic timing, so why the serious disconnect? Perhaps it's the structure of the script: There's one con game too many perpetrated, and since we can't take anything on face value, their resultant romance never seems credible. A parade of comic eccentrics-including a chatterbox millionaire (Billy Bob Thornton), a cuckolded husband (Geoffrey Rush), a low-rent divorce attorney (Cedric the Entertainer), and Jones' philandering ex (Edward Herrmann)-march through the plot at various intervals. Most of these supporting turns come across as desperate attempts to enliven the proceedings; although all of the actors are adept farceurs, they're handed material unworthy of their abilities. Only during its final act, with the introduction of an asthmatic hit man (Irwin Keyes), does the film achieve the goofy gusto prevalent in the Coens' other work.

INTOLERABLE CRUELTY always seems to be within pouncing distance of great farce, yet it never really connects. The results are not intolerable, just curiously uninvolving.


Watching This Movie Was Intolerable Cruelty!!!
In this sorry excuse for a comedy we see Catherine Zeta Jones who plays a gold digging woman.George Clooney plays a slick Divorce Lawyer.These two go head to head in a tussle over money (so what else is new in the world of Lawyers?).That's about all there is to this so called "Comedy". The jokes fall flat and even the presence of the beautiful Ms. Zeta Jones can't save this movie but she does look good in it which is why I have given it 5 stars.

It's a Coen brothers movie! Watch accordingly.
The Coen brothers have directed and produced a long list of eclectic films that are part drama and part comedy with a dash of their distinct warped view of the world. Their films include titles such as Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and The Hundsucker Proxy.

If you've watched any of these movies you'll know that the Coen brothers don't draw within the lines. Their style is distinct.

I rented this flick with zero expectations. I didn't even know it was a Coen brothers movie until I saw the beginning credits. I immediately knew what to expect. Unlike some viewers, I did laugh. And I did think it was a little romantic at the end. However, I did think that the second half dragged and was not nearly as good as the first.

I happen to like most Coen movies. Others don't. "Intolerable Cruelty" is not their best work, not by a long shot. Still, the number of negative reviews of this movie and the content of those reviews belabors the point. Do you like Coen movies? If yes, you'll probably find this one acceptable. If you don't then avoid this one like the plague. It's just that simple.

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