Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I just mentioned the Coen Brothers yesterday, and all of a sudden, the floodgates are open. Not only did we get a review of BAD SANTA, which they produced, but we also got in our very first look at INTOLERABLE CRUELTY, their next film to hit theaters. The fact that they seem to have hit it off so well with Clooney is really exciting, and I can’t wait to see how this nasty bit of business finally looks onscreen. It’s been yeeeeeeears since I first read it...
Hey Harry, Mean Mr. Mustard here. About a year ago this time I saw the very first screening of Adaptation, one of the most eagerly awaited films of 2002 (among film lovers) and I immediately wrote in to AICN to say how it surpassed Being John Malkovich and correctly predicted that Cage, Streep, and Cooper would all be getting nominations and awards at years end. Funny how almost exactly a year later I am writing to say that I just saw the very first screening one of the most eagerly awaited films (among film lovers) of 2003, the new film from The Coen Brothers, Intolerable Cruelty.
And yes, the brothers themselves, along with one of the producers of the film, Brian Graizer (sp?) came in to the screening room at the last minute and sat in their taped-off seats in the back row.
Anyway, Intolerable Cruelty is sort of a throw back to the old screwball comedies of the 50's and 60's with a demented Coen brothers touch of course. Here is the set-up: a hugely successful yet slimy and shyster Los Angeles divorce lawyer (George Clooney) sabotages the divorce precedings of his rich client (Edward Herrmann) so that his client doesn't have to pay a settlement to his ex wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones), herself a serial divorcee. There are many plot twists from that point, including yet another marriage/divorce for Zeta-Jones, this time to a millionaire Texas Oil tycoon (a scene stealing cameo from Billy Bob Thornton), and yet more plot twists from there, but the true fire works come in the final act.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Clooney falls for Zeta-Jones (who wouldn't), they get married, and to prove good faith to one another, there is no pre-nump between the two. Big mistake! Hidden agendas are soon revealed, and the film takes a War of the Roses twist, with Clooney and Zeta-Jones flip-flopping at trying to do in the other or trying to stop the other from being done in (depending on who's net value is worth more at that given moment), with a big bald hit man for hire who calls himself The Weasel (because he suffers from a nasty case of asthma) in the middle of these two. I guarantee you that the biggest laugh that you will have in theaters this year will be when a blinded by mace Weasel mistakes one certain "device" for another and... OH YOU JUST HAVE TO SEE IT, AND YOU WILL LAUGH YOUR ASS OFF!!
While not in the same league of O Brother Where Art Though or Fargo, it's still one the Coen brothers best efforts, and more satisfying from an audience perspective than their last film, The Man Who Wasn't There which looked great, but was to cold and cynical for a lot of viewers. The Coen's usual Cinematographer Roger Deakins, shot this one as well, but it's doesn't have the scope, sweep, and visual punch that The Man Who Wasn't There, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and Fargo had, but in all fairness, that probably has more to do with Intolerable Cruelty's setting of modern Los Angeles as opposed to the snow filled mid-west or the past of the Great Depression and homage B&W of the 1940's.
My only other problem with the film is small, and can easily be fixed in postproduction. The film spans over a period of a few years, but it isn't really made all that clear until more than half way through that a few years must have past between certain scenes. All they have to do is insert title cards, and start off with 1999 at the beginning and gradually insert a year until we get to the climax, which would be 2003. Problem solved, no confusion or head scratching from the audience.
The cast was excellent. An unrecognizable Geoffrey Rush with a long ponytail gets some great laughs in early on as the husband of one of Clooney’s clients. Paul Adelstein is very funny as Clooney's Jr. Partner/assistant/sidekick, as is Cedric the Entertainer as a PI who specializes in divorce cases. And whoever played the Weasel...perfect! But this is a film where the two leads are perfectly matched and cast and Intolerable Cruelty belongs to Clooney and Zeta-Jones. Clooney is to the Coen brothers what Depp is to Burton and De Niro is to Scorsese, it's just a perfect match of Actor/Director that brings out the best each in each other. Zeta-Jones coming straight off of Chicago once again proves that she has undeniable star power, and a great knack for comedy.
I don't think that I can predict nominations or year end awards for Intolerable Cruelty like I did with Adaptation, but I can predict this: because it's one of the lightest and most audiences friendly films that the Coen brothers have ever made, and because it has two genuine movie stars at the top of their form, audiences will eat Intolerable Cruelty up and Intolerable Cruelty will be the very first Coen brothers film to break the 100million mark. The release date is apparently set for October, but I think that Universal should take a chance and counter program it with this years summer blockbusters. Trust me Universal, between The Hulk, X2, The Matrix 2, T-3, Bad Boys 2, Charlie's Angels 2, American Pie 3, Tomb Raider 2, and The Fast and the Furious 2, Intolerable Cruelty would be the perfect off beat summer film that audiences will eat up.
Mean Mr. Mustard out!
Oh, man, I’m starting to get that itch. I’m starting to think I may have to fire up the Time Machine and jump to the end of the year and just gorge on all of 2003 at one time. I don’t think I can take the waiting...
"Moriarty" out.
