The Coen Brothers have displayed their unique sense of style in their films like RAISING ARIZONA, BLOOD SIMPLE and FARGO. They often skirt the line between black satire, film noir and screwball comedy. CRUELTY is probably their most accessible mainstream film and conjures up the best of Hollywood's Golden Age screwball laugh-fests.
Miles Massey (George Clooney, O' BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?) is L.A.'s top divorce lawyer. They teach a class on his pre-nup agreement at Harvard Law School. He's a conniver and a cheat; no case is too difficult to win. Rex Rexroth (Edward Herrmann, CAT'S MEOW) has been caught red-handed cheating on his wife, Marylin (Catherine Zeta-Jones, TRAFFIC), who wants to take him for everything he's got. She's a pro at this sort of thing, having her own go-to private eye named Gus Petch (Cedric the Entertainer, BARBERSHOP). However, she underestimated the skills of Miles Massey, who wins. But that's just a set back for Marylin. Next up for this seductress is naïve very-Texan, oil man Howard (Billy Bob Thorton, SLINGBLADE). The poor sap is just a tool for Marylin to get back at Miles. She doesn't like to lose.
The battle of wits between Miles and Marylin is excellent. Dialogue is rarely this juicy anymore. They are both loathsome characters, but you love watching them one up each other. Clooney and Zeta-Jones are perfectly matched. You just think they are cut from the same pattern. Clooney reminds me of Cary Grant in so many ways. Zeta-Jones has an aloof, Lauren Becall, femme fatale thing going on.
The only problem with the film is whether you believe these two characters could really love anyone, besides themselves. Clooney and Zeta-Jones do a wonderful job of convincing us that they are meant for each other, but it's hard to say if these characters deserve to be happy. It's also more fun to see them fight than to see them love each other. I think it's this last complaint that has really divided audiences on this film.
However, I was convinced and quite enjoyed myself. I love when I see wit in modern comedies instead of the incessant need to always go for the lowbrow. The highroad is harder to take and is so refreshing when it is done right. Of course, Miles and Marylin are not highroad kind of people, but that's what makes them so devilishly delightful to watch. Maybe these cads end up with exactly whom they deserve to be with.
Buy "Intolerable Cruelty" Here!
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
