Review of Intolerable Cruelty (2003) by Buddy K — 09 Mar 2011
A mixed bag. Some nice stuff by each of the leads (George Clooney & Catherine Zeta-Jones), but the script is rough at best and some of the supporting characters are truly, ridiculously bad. Cedric the Entertainer ought to have HIS ass nailed for what amounted to the most annoying character in recent memory.
Was he supposed to be funny? Geoffrey Rush is in it for five minutes and he was barely tolerable. Edward Hermann - ditto. Paul Adelstein - WTF?!?! Billy Bob Thornton may not have been the strongest character, but he played it very well.
I'm somewhat stunned to learn that this is a Coen brothers film. Yes, I can recognize the elements now (Clooney at times channels his O Brother Where Art Thou character - he would have been better off playing it straight), but this is certainly nowhere NEAR their best effort.
The last half hour, riddled with cliches, feels rushed and incongruous - as if to try to wrap up loose ends and add a bit of an up-tempo climax. The basic premise is smart and there are some bright moments/twists, but all in all this movie is a dud - skip it.
This review of Intolerable Cruelty (2003) was written by Buddy K on 09 Mar 2011.
Intolerable Cruelty has generally received positive reviews.
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