Written by: Robert Ramsey, Matthew Stone, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Starring: George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Geoffrey Rush, Cedric the Entertainer, Edward Herrmann
Rating: [4/5]
Screwball comedies once ruled the world of Hollywood, where the biggest stars would find the value in indulging the over-the-top comedy. Like several genres, they have lost their popularity for audiences in favor of more straightforward comedy. The lack of these types of comedies in the marketplace make the ones that try it and succeed in doing so within the modern times so much fun. Intolerable Cruelty firmly channels this wackiness and despite its ridiculous silliness it just works.
Known for assisting his clients exceptionally well, divorce attorney Miles (George Clooney) has prospective client, Rex (Edward Herrmann) request his services to leave his wife penniless despite getting caught red-handed cheating on her. This allows Miles to meet Marilyn (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and as he gains an attraction to her, they involve themselves in quite the web of lies and deception.
Operating in the tricky, emotionally-charged, and wildly expensive world of divorce, Intolerable Cruelty seeks to not only display the importance of a good prenuptial agreement, but also the various types of individuals who seek to enter a marriage covenant. In this film, we have those that get into it for sexually gratifying reasons and those who seek to exploit it for financial gain. Therefore, we have this back and forth where who signed what at a particular time matters and it makes for an effortlessly entertaining film with two stars operating at a completely different level.
Marriage in this world does not resemble the fantasy many have imagined it to be, where two individuals get into this pact through a promise of love for the rest of their lives. Individuals like Marilyn utilize it as a sport to obtain wealth as she exemplifies the type of woman men want to avoid, even those with no money, as they utilize it as a way to explain not having a significant other. Marilyn operates like a machine to the degree where taking in her whole name explains exactly how well she has operated in this arena. Marilyn Hamilton Rexroth Doyle is her name from the start of the film and she will add another by the time the final credits roll. She strives to marry these men, avoid a prenuptial agreement, find a rightful reason for divorce and wipe them out financially. She becomes the ultimate opponent for Miles Massey, who specializes in making sure his clients end up on top.
The back and forth between these two characters is nothing short of comedic genius in how this film continually shows them trying to get the upper hand on each other that does not face limits within the case, but also when a romance begins to brew between them. A ridiculous battle of the wits these two carry out from beginning to end that leaves someone who does not believe in marriage like Miles who wants to figure out if he can actually capture the heart of a woman who famously will do whatever works best for her. The twists and reveals involved in their little game in addition to all the players they involve within it does bend the scope of reality but again, we’re talking about a screwball comedy here. Plot points should get ridiculous because this entire premise does not seek to live in the real world, but rather one where individuals profess their love so much they decide to dramatically rip up their prenuptial agreement right before a wedding. A silly notion but one that very much matches beat for beat the tone of this film and it left me tickled with laughter throughout.
As expected, a large part of the success this film sought to reach would come from the actors at the forefront of the film and the way George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones just devour the screen and go all-in with this material stands as the major reason as to why it worked. Clooney operating in goofball mode just hits the spot in the way he can just hit his comedic beats perfectly but Zeta-Jones completely knocks it out of the park. She needs to capture both the alluring qualities of this character but also the cunning ones, and at no point did I not buy this whole experience of trying to figure out Marilyn’s angle in everything. She would end up on top somehow and it became fun just trying to follow the clues of exactly how she would get there and Zeta-Jones put on such a wonderful performance to make it all work.
Quite like no other Coen brothers film, Intolerable Cruelty thrives in its overt silliness as we follow two master manipulators in their quest to beat the other out in this game of love and legal paperwork. It has some ridiculous twists and reveals to the point all believability goes out the window but it remained wholly consistent from the first frame to the last that made me appreciate everything going on here.
Films with Josh 
