Intolerable Cruelty

What's the Plot?

In Beverly Hills, it's what you've got and what you can get that counts. Every husband and wife knows it, and so do all the divorce lawyers, and none more so than Miles Massey (George Clooney). A brilliant lawyer, he even has a well-renowned "ironclad" contract named after him - the "Massey pre-nup." But so much success has also brought him boredom but that is all about to change when he meets the wife of his next client. Rex Rexroth (Edward Herrmann) was caught cheating on his wife by private investigator, Gus Petch (Cedric The Entertainer). Now, his soon-to-be ex-wife Marylin (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is looking forward to all that the divorce will bring. That is until Miles yet again wins his case for Rex and Marylin ends up with nothing. Not to be out-done, Marylin knocks Miles for six when she turns up at his office announcing that she will now marry oil tycoon Howard Doyle (Billy Bob Thornton). With an undeniable attraction between them, who will win this battle of the sexes... and more importantly, what exactly will they win ? Miles may never have lost in the courtroom, but Marylin has never lost in the bedroom !

The Review

From the likes of Miller's Crossing through to The Man Who Wasn't There, The Cohen's have courted much critical success but never box-office bucks. Their latest flick, which runs like a modern Cary Grant / Doris Day picture, should change all that. True fans of theirs may feel slightly cheated that the normal dark, strange and twisted undertones have largely been shelved for what would appear to be light-and-frothy fun, but upon reflection, it should become apparent that The Cohen's have not sold out and have just proven that they can work magic in any field that they choose to delve into.

This is proven in the superb performance of Clooney who continues to go from strength to strength and shows that comedy IS now firmly under his belt. So much so that his presence is an absolute joy to watch, from his asking Zeta-Jones whilst still in her wedding dress ON her wedding day... "so now that the marriage is winding down, when can I see you ?", through to his unusual take on playing tennis whilst thinking about the "fascinating" Marylin. What also shines out is his pairing with Zeta-Jones that rivals one of the best on-screen chemistry's of our time - Clooney and Lopez in Out Of Sight.

Their quick-fire banter is reminiscent of the types long-forgotten since the days of Cary Grant /Doris Day except of course the sexual innuendo has increased somewhat. Even though it's 2 leads get most of the limelight, as always, everyone gets a slice of the pie in a Cohen's movie. Thornton plays the 10 gallon-wearing Texan down to the last stereo-type and Geoffrey Rush hams it up solidly as a TV producer who's in need of a good divorce lawyer. Humoures, smart, sexy and intelligent, Intolerable Cruelty IS a mainstream movie but still with a decidedly dark twist of Cohen to it - Wheezy Joe's attempt to kill Clooney is a prime example. Too enjoyable for words, so go see it. Now.

STEVE'S SCORE