Review of Intolerable Cruelty (2003) by Ben G — 20 May 2009

The central part of a surprising three-film lull for the Coen brothers. Generally, a lot of the negative press for this criticizes it for being too close to the mainstream, but I disagree - generally, the central romance is the most appealing part of the film, with well-written and generally funny dialogue.

The real problem is the constant attempts to turn it into a homage to old screwball comedies (Bringing Up Baby, etc), resulting in many uncomfortable shifts in style. The asthmatic hitman and Geoffrey Rush's awkward (and ultimately pointless) intro are just two of the most annoying examples.

"The Hudsucker Proxy" used similar influences in a much more effective way - ultimately, this film could have probably realized its potential with a few more script revisions.