Film Review: Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

12 months ago (Edited)

(source: tmdb.org)

Coen Brothers have built their reputation in the world of independent cinema with low-budget quirky films that differ in genres but always contain a very personal touch. However, like so many filmmakers, the Coens gradually became part of the Hollywood mainstream, and with big stars and big budgets came artistic compromises, making their films indistinguishable from big-budget mediocrity. This process was gradual, but it became impossible to ignore following the 2003 comedy Intolerable Cruelty.

The plot is set in Los Angeles, or, to be more precise, a section of the city that is home to the rich, famous, and powerful. Many of these individuals are married, and many of such marriages end in divorce, resulting in one of the spouses winning or losing everything. The person who can help spouses win is Miles Massey (played by George Clooney), the city’s top divorce attorney whose talent and creativity resulted in the “Massey pre-nup,” a prenuptial agreement that serves as a perfect defence for a spouse who wants to preserve wealth. Massey is hired by Rex Rexroth (played by Edward Herrmann), a wealthy husband who has been caught in flagranti delicto while cheating on his wife, Marylin (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones). Despite the damning photographic evidence, Massey is certain that he will win a favourable outcome for his client, and he does so by successfully character assassinating Marylin, which isn’t that hard since she has a reputation as a ruthless “gold digger” who marries and divorces wealthy men for money. Marylin feels humiliated and swears revenge, complicating Massey’s life because he has fallen in love with her.

Some critics interpreted Intolerable Cruelty as the Coen Brothers’ homage to screwball comedies of Classic Hollywood. This impression is difficult to evade since the Coens’ good friend George Clooney, who plays the main role, does everything in his power to portray the slick and suave divorce attorney in the manner of the legendary Cary Grant. His efforts to have the same impact as Grant did in his great films many decades earlier fail, just as Catherine Zeta-Jones fails to add anything to the film apart from her exotic presence. The reason could be found in the poor quality of humour and many jokes that simply don’t work. Another issue is the large number of characters who, instead of being quirky or funny, are simply irritating, like the private investigator Gus Petch, played by Cedric the Entertainer. Even the two main characters aren’t exactly likable, at least to viewers who are more cynical and resistant to the power of stars when playing roles of arrogant, greedy, and amoral upper-class people. While Intolerable Cruelty does have occasional bright moments, like the one in which Marylin’s new husband, a Texas oilman played by Billy Bob Thornton, eats the “Massey pre-nup” as an expression of love, the general impression is mostly disappointing. The failure of Intolerable Cruelty, on the other hand, isn’t surprising because the script the Coens wrote wasn’t original and wasn’t exactly theirs. They were brought in by producer Brian Grazer as hired guns to help with a script that had been written and re-written by three other people and languished in development hell for almost a decade. The Coens are talented, but in this case, they weren’t talented enough to overcome the flaws of Hollywood mainstream. While watchable, Intolerable Cruelty doesn’t deserve a recommendation.

RATING: 3/10 (+)