Review of Intolerable Cruelty (2003) by Doctor S — 28 Mar 2013

"I'm gonna nail your ass!!!".

WHY didn't anyone tell me "don't listen to the negative comments about this movie"? My Flixster friends rarely let me down in this big a way, so I'm here to tell the rest of you "don't listen to the negative comments about this movie"!

Hotshot sharklike divorce attorney Miles Massey meets golddigging ice queen Marylin Rexroth, and the rest is far from history. This isn't your ordinary Hollywood love story, as the dangers of emotional exposure take a stretch limo-sized backseat to financial exposure. Lawyers, prenuptial agreements, and an asthmatic hitman are not your normal ingredients for a romantic comedy, but then Joel & Ethan Coen are not your normal filmmakers.

George Clooney gives a masterfully controlled wacky performance as Miles - watch his facial expressions and his body movements, not as far out as Nicolas Cage in Raising Arizona but in that direction to emphasize the comedy beats. Catherine Zeta-Jones as Marylin is understated but it suits the character. Besides, plenty of funny Coen-esque oddballs populate the small roles, from a dense pool-supply salesman to a long-winded Texas oilman (Billy Bob Thornton) to a monotonic motormouth bailiff to a gonzo private investigator (Cedric the Entertainer) to the asthmatic hitman.

Ranks high among their comedies, probably most similar in feel to The Hudsucker Proxy and a half-notch above the more inconsistent The Big Lebowski, which makes Intolerable Cruelty their most underrated film. Don't listen to the negative comments about this movie - that would be intolerably cruel.