Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Joel Coen

Writers (WGA):

Robert Ramsey (story) &
Matthew Stone (story) ...

Release Date:

10 October 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Crime

Tagline:

A romantic comedy with bite.

Plot:

A revenge-seeking gold digger marries a womanizing Beverly Hills lawyer with the intention of making a killing in the divorce.

Plot Keywords:

Divorce | Lawyer | Battle Of The Sexes | Oil Tycoon | Gold Digger

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

George Clooney	...	Miles
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Marylin
Geoffrey Rush	...	Donovan Donaly
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Gus Petch
Edward Herrmann	...	Rex Rexroth
Paul Adelstein	...	Wrigley
Richard Jenkins	...	Freddy Bender
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Howard D. Doyle
Julia Duffy	...	Sarah Sorkin
Jonathan Hadary	...	Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espy
Tom Aldredge	...	Herb Myerson
Stacey Travis	...	Bonnie Donaly
Jack Kyle	...	Ollie Olerud
Irwin Keyes	...	Wheezy Joe
Judith Drake	...	Mrs. Gutman

Also Known As:

Intolerable (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and brief violence.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:12 (video rating) (2003) | UK:12A (original rating) | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | France:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-7 | Germany:12 (bw) | Netherlands:MG6 | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | USA:PG-13 (No. 39509)

Filming Locations:

Caesar's Palace - 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The Coen Brothers stated that the film was nearly in the works for eight years. It initially began as a project they wrote up for Universal.

Goofs:

Continuity: After his keynote speech in the NOMAN convention, he tucks in his shirt and heads for a bar. As he walks up to the bar counter, you can see that his shirt is once again untucked.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Donovan Donaly: [singing] I'm just a poor boy, though my story's seldom told.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fear of Clowns (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Bridge over Troubled Water

Perfectly tolerable...even enjoyable!

No one in today's Hollywood is going to truly outshine past pairings such as Clark Gable and Joan Crawford, Cary Grant and Grace Kelly or even Rock Hudson and Doris Day. They simply had too much mystique and showbiz magic behind them for the tabloid-ridden stars of today to compete with. However, based on what's out there today, Clooney and Jones make a delicious, gorgeous pair. In this frothy, sometimes manic production, Clooney stars as an ace divorce attorney. So successful is he that he can turn around even the most airtight cases. Yet he has it all and is bored. After he pulls the rug out from under one of his clients' wives (Jones), she sets out to exact revenge upon him. The two play a cat and mouse game of I-got-you and you-got-me, with their actual feelings occasionally rising to the surface. Clooney is charm epitomized. His jaw-dropping good looks are actually beginning to show minor signs of wear (check out his cheek pores in that opening teeth cleaning sequence and note the onset of wrinkles and rasp in the voice -- though he still looks like a god in kind lighting), but thankfully, he's become such a decent actor that he should have no problem continuing a strong career. In this, he is comparable to Cary Grant, who remained attractive right up until his death. Unfortunately, he doesn't have QUITE the skill that Grant had, but he'll do. (Some of the lingo and jargon that Clooney has to emit looks and sounds like it's over his head.) Jones is astonishing. She has, without question, that old time glamour and the finely honed talent to carry her roles. Her face, clothes, hair...everything is stunning. Together, the two are blisteringly attractive and charismatic. The supporting cast is great here with Rush (in a surprisingly tiny role) hamming it up well and Thornton presenting another one of his oddball characterizations. Also of note are Cedric the Entertainer who is less annoying than expected and especially Adelstein as Clooney's adoring, sentimental cohort. (And it's fun to see Duffy get a big screen role which beautifully utilizes her brittle, nose-in-the-air persona.) One of the funniest and most shocking moments in the film comes courtesy of Keyes who plays an asthmatic hit man. The whole film is peppered with odd little characterizations, some funny, some intriguing, some just bizarre. (The diner waitress is hysterical. The hunky pool man is perfect. Clooney's boss is unintelligible and just plain weird.) The film seems to take place in it's own little world, which can sometimes be quite different from the one the rest of the audience lives in. The quirkiness and farcical nature of the film occasionally threaten to cross it over into Zucker brothers territory, but ultimately it keeps it's feet on the ground. A couple of familiar or dull moments can't dampen the spirit of the whole. The stars are deliriously attractive, the story has a few surprises along the way and the film is very easy on the eyes and often entertaining to the ear. There's also a delightful title sequence inspired by vintage Valentine cards.