Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

"Tight as a drum, glamorous and exquisitely funny...  Damon Wise, Empire
"The movie is a delicious, consistently hilarious screwball farce...  William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Editor's Note George Clooney establishes himself as a true Hollywood movie star and heir to the Cary Grant throne in this hysterical dark romantic comedy from the Coen brothers. Clooney plays Miles Massey, an unhappy and lonely divorce lawyer who specializes in protecting the wealth of men who have been caught cheating by their wives. But when Marilyn Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones, who has never looked better) walks into his office, he thinks he might be in love, leading to a thrilling cat-and-mouse battle of the sexes in which audiences never know who's scamming whom and whether true love is ever attainable--especially when there is a lot of money at stake. Much has been made of the Coens' venture into mainstream movies, but INTOLERABLE CRUELTY fits in well in their pantheon of unusual and highly entertaining films, including THE HUDSUCKER PROXY, THE BIG LEBOWSKI, and BLOOD SIMPLE. Clooney and Zeta-Jones light up the screen, and they get ample support from Billy Bob Thornton as a rich country bumpkin oil magnate, Julia Duffy as a poor little rich girl, Richard Jenkins as a low-rent lawyer, Edward Herrmann as a train-loving naughty boy, Geoffrey Rush as an eccentric television producer, Cedric the Entertainer as an outrageous private investigator, and the inimitable Irwin Keyes as bizarre hit man Wheezy Joe. Fast-paced dialogue, gorgeous settings, and Clooney's facial gestures combine for a whirlwind film that is both fun and funny. The soundtrack contains many Simon & Garfunkel songs, in two cases riotously performed by a folksinging priest and a Las Vegas chapel bagpiper.

	Billy Bob Thornton
	Catherine Zeta-Jones
	Cedric the Entertainment
	Edward Herrmann
	Geoffrey Rush
	George Clooney
	Paul Adelstein
	Richard Jenkins
	Brian Grazer - Producer
	Carter Burwell - Original Music By
	Ethan Coen - Producer
	Ethan Coen - Editor
	Ethan Coen, et al. - Screenplay
	Joel Coen - Director
	Joel Coen - Editor
	Roger Deakins - Cinematographer

Total Film
"...Clooney turns in a terrific comic performance that stirs memories of Cary Grant..." 11/01/2003 p.92

Rolling Stone
"...In the Coen manner, the film brims with crafty character turns..." 10/30/2003 p.100

New York Times
"...An intelligent, modern screwball comedy, a minor classic on the order of competent, fast-talking curve balls about deception and greed like Mitchell Liesen's EASY LIVING and Billy Wilder's MAJOR AND THE MINOR..." 10/10/2003 p.E13

Sight and Sound
"...CRUELTY stands up fine as Friday-night fun..." 11/01/2003 p.30-49

USA Today
"INTOLERABLE CRUELTY is a deliciously good time, enhanced by the big-screen charisma of its two stars..." 10/10/2003 p.5E

Los Angeles Times
"...With George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones working together beautifully..." 10/10/2003 p.C1

Wall Street Journal
"[A] quick-witted comedy....Catherin Zeta-Jones is Marilyn, a gorgeous schemer who wants to take her filthy-rich husband -- and Miles's woefully foolish client -- to the cleaners." 12/04/2009

James Berardinelli's ReelViews 9 of 10
I haven't liked every film the Coens have made, but even the least impressive title on their resume

Rolling Stone 8 of 10
In the Coen manner, the film brims with crafty character turns, including Billy Bob Thornton as a ri - Peter Travers

Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
... The movie has many scenes of delicious comedy, Cloo-ney and Zeta-Jones play their characters per - Roger Ebert