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Intolerable Cruelty (2003) ...
The casting of "Intolerable Cruelty" is nothing but perfect. Who better to play the smooth, preening lawyer than George Clooney?
| Released: | 2003 |
| Running Time: | 100 minutes |
| Cast: | George Clooney .... Miles
Massey Catherine Zeta-Jones .... Marylin Rexroth Geoffrey Rush .... Donovan Donaly Cedric the Entertainer .... Gus Petch Edward Herrmann .... Rex Rexroth Paul Adelstein .... Wrigley Billy Bob Thornton .... Howard D. Doyle |
| Writers: | Robert
Ramsey (screenplay) Matthew Stone (screenplay) Ethan Coen (screenplay) Joel Coen (screenplay) |
| Director: | Joel Coen
Ethan Coen |
| My Rating | **** |
George Clooney
and Catherine Zeta-Jones have starred together in "Ocean's Twelve" as well, but
there was no direct connection between their characters. So, if you're curious
about how they look as a couple, then the best thing to do is chekc
out "Intolerable Cruelty".
This movie was directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, with whom George Clooney has worked before, in 2000 on the sets of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?". It seems that their collaboration has borne good fruits and if you liked "O Brother", you'll certainly like this one too. Even if the directors have changed the register.
Essentially, "Intolerable Cruelty" is a movie
which takes the usual traditional form of the romantic comedy and tweaks it in
"The War of the Roses" style. We are witnesses of a "cruel" conflict whose
combatants are Miles Massey (Clooney), a divorcing attorney and Marylin Rexroth
(Zeta-Jones) who's...well...a fortune-hunter. 
What do they have in common? On the one hand, they both desire to win. Miles, an already wealthy lawyer, is pushed by the desire to win the battle against his opponent. Marylin, she also wants to win. She's looking for money, independence and freedom. On the other hand, at some point, Miles will represent Marylin's husband Rex (Edward Herrmann) in a divorce action. Where's the cruelty then?
Well, after taking Rex's case, who was caught on tape cheating on Marylin, Miles does his job astonishingly and turns over the result, thus winning the case and leaving the cheated wife with basically nothing. Just when she almost had everything! It's easy to imply that later Miles falls for Marylin and it's also predictable that she's planning his downfall in return for her losing the case. And to think they will end together! This comedy bites!
The casting of "Intolerable Cruelty" is nothing
but perfect. Who better to play the smooth, preening lawyer than George Clooney?
Miles never skips the opportunity to check his smile in a mirror and his charm
seems to be a perfect ingredient to help him win his cases. A classical beauty,
Catherine Zeta-Jones 
successfully embodies
Marylin, radiating a feminine sensuality which is impossible to ignore. Even if
she had an established plan regarding Miles, she still ignites whenever she's in
his company.
The game these two are playing makes the movie attractive. It's a pleasure to watch these two very attractive starts go at one another, whether in lust, passion or anger. Both Miles and Marylin are high class people manipulators, they both have their own ways to achieve their goals and seeing them fight one against the other is nothing but fun, entertaining and witty. You can tell the movie has been directed by the Coen brothers by the way in which the dialogues and movements take place. We are in a battle of strategies, words and last but not the least of personalities.
The cast also include Edward Herrmann, Geoffrey Rush, Billy Bob Thornton, Richard Jenkins and Cedric the Entertainer. The names should be enough for you to expect having some good laughter.
"Intolerable Cruelty" is underrated by some and appreciated by many. Nevertheless, the Coen's witty perspective on the traditional romantic comedy and the extraordinary performances given by Clooney and Zeta-Jones make this movie pleasurable to watch.
