ElMaruecan82
Weird, my two lowest rated Coen brothers' movies (with a 6 to be precise) are the overpraised "O' Brother Where Art Thou" and the disastrous "Hail, Caesar!" and what do they have in common?
Bingo, both movies feature the talented and charismatic George Clooney and both seem to waste his very talent in scripts that don't generally offer more than the usual quips and quirks but devoid of these subtle touches of genius that transcend the movie. All things come in three with "Intolerable Cruelty", a movie I still enjoyed but which I can't give more than 7. Seriously, why the alchemy never quite works between the Coen brothers and Clooney, as it does with Frances McDormand or even John Goodman?
I think the Coen brothers are masters when it comes to witty stories with a dark edge, told with enough distance to enhance the irony and enough dedication to draw us into the picture. As much as we can't take seriously the Dude's misadventures, we empathize with him because we do believe that the rug tied the room together and they had no right to pee on it! In "Fargo", we condemn Jerry's crazy scheme with all our heart and we laugh at Carl's constant bad luck, but we do feel the tragic waste of lives and are genuinely touched by Marge's poignant statement about a certain beautiful day.
That's the Coen brothers' magic, this balance between cynicism and sincerity. And when "Intolerable Cruelty" started, I received the expected shot of cynicism and it was delightfully Coenian. The film opens with a soap opera producer, Geoffrey Rush, coming back home and discovering a suspicious truck parked outside and his wife in a situation that leaves no doubt about her recent schedule. Now, the incident is mildly funny, it involves the obligatory exchanges of lines and gunshots but it's all in the way the whole case is distorted with the mouth of nuptial lawyer and redoubtable expert Miles Massey.
And it's not surprising that his establishing shot starts with his newly whitened teeth, Massey has such a dashing smile and white teeth that it seemed to have contaminated his words with the same aura, even the cheating wife (Stacey Travis) embraces his version of the facts. Later we see whatever happened to the poor husband and realize the extent of Massey's competence. Massey is a pro, he's so good he's bad, so good that he codified a contract, a 'pre-nuptial' agreement that is totally unbreakable, a fool-proof contract making divorce much more a no-option for the richer spouse as if he or she was a devout Catholic.
We never know the content of this agreement, but it doesn't matter, it's handled like a clever McGuffin, a piece of paper establishing that makes predatory marriage unfeasible, but the catch is this: it's made of paper, so it can be torn, generally out of love... both love and justice are blind, so pray God to have Massey on your side in both cases. That aspect of the story works like a funny running gag, it's just as if the reason to be of this contract is to be torn, as if it was made only to be contradicted. And when you dig deeper, you realize that this is the basis of most screwball comedies, it's about 'certitudes' and appearances waiting to be proven overrated or wrong, to meet their match.
And the match to Clooney's sex-appeal couldn't have come from a woman other than Marilyn, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. Massey is a man so confident in his charm, so religiously rooted in the conviction that his baby darling is unbreakable, that he needed to be confronted to a serial divorcee with the beauty of Jones, she's a challenge to Massey's ideas and a challenge, period. She's so irresistibly attractive that it doesn't even play as plot contrivance when the two of them meet at a restaurant and discuss about love and marriage, and their two cynical views collide leaving us wondering which one of them will win the fight of ideas and the other will get love as a prize of consolation.
So there's something in "Intolerable Cruelty' that echoes the old Hollywood screwball comedies, with two roles tailor made for the most glamorous actor and actress of the early 2000's, the new Cary Grant and Ava Gardner. The film also had a share of scene-stealing supporting characters from Paul Adelstein as the easy crier assistant, Cedric the Entertainer as a private eye, Billy Bob Thornton as a rich Texan and perfect target for Marilyn, not to mention Irwin Keyes who's responsible for the film's single most hilarious moment, but despite all this great casting, the interplays between the two leads are so overused that we're left with a sort of a cinematic Catch 22.
I had the impression that the Coens are too in awe with their stars to let the story venture in other realms of unpredictability or if they're so blasé about the story that they don't really try to push it further. Something was lacking, a spice, a chemistry. Hard to tell. I enjoyed "Intolerable Cruelty" during the crucial moments where Clooney and Jones were interacting but for a movie showing us how far and wrong a marriage could go, there was nothing really out of the ordinary, nothing ingenuous or risqué, the whole thing is played like a little farce, a joke where everyone is on, except for the viewers. It's enjoyable... but never to the point that you wish to watch it again, And not being re-watchable is a mortal sin when it comes to the Coen brothers.Don't take me wrong, I don't blame the film for being bad, but for not being as good as its story promises, for not swimming in more unsafe waters. In fact, if it was half what the Massey contract's reputation established, it could have been something.
mpurvismattp
I remember the first time I saw this movie, I was at my Mother's home for a visit. I was surprised to see that it was done by the Coen Bros. because at first glance the DVDs cover just makes it look like some Rom-Com chick flick which was probably why my Mother had rented it I would guess. Well it wasn't exactly her cup of tea but I thought it was down right side splitting, and humor that only the Coe-bros. can dream up and bring to life on the big screen. The more I watch it the better it gets. To me (and many others of course) the Coen Bros. can simply do no wrong and this one is another shining example of why we hold that opinion and why we have been such big fans of this dynamic duo of film making. The acting is superb throughout, the directing and editing are equally perfect and the story is interesting and totally unique, you're not gonna find a romantic comedy with so many great characters and such fast paced dialog. The subtle tongue in cheek jokes come one after the other. For me it's just a great example of how talented the Coen's are and how every movie they give us should be something to celebrate as movie fans. I love the "Big Lebowski" and it's one of my all time favorite films (not just Coen films) but "Intolerable Cruelty" is right up there with the cult classic and what makes them both so great is that they are both films that can get better every time you watch them. Even if u know damn near every line u will find something new with each viewing. To me that's what often makes a great movie and what makes "Intolerable Cruelty" exactly that. Bravo Coen's, Bravo! You truly are the best in the business.
