Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
A revenge-seeking gold digger marries a womanizing Beverly Hills lawyer with the intention of making a killing in the divorce.
Intolerable Cruelty is a mid-tier Coen Brothers effort that blends screwball comedy with satire on marriage and greed. The plot has clever reversals and a solid comedic framework but lacks the tight construction of their best work, feeling slightly mechanical in its third act. Clooney and Zeta-Jones have genuine chemistry and comedic timing, though neither is stretched particularly far. Cinematographically it's competent but unremarkable for a Coen film — Roger Deakins isn't behind the camera and it shows, with a glossy but generic Hollywood sheen. The Coens' voice gives it some distinctiveness — the dark satirical edge and absurdist touches elevate it above a standard romcom — but it's one of their more conventional films. The ending fumbles the landing somewhat, resolving too neatly after the sharper cynicism that preceded it.