Hey folks, Harry here... INTOLERABLE CRUELTY is genius... that's all you need to know... Enjoy...
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a short review of the Coen Brother's newest nugget of genius, INTOLERABLE CRUELTY.
I am a die hard Coen fan. They have yet to turn me off with a film (the closest they came was FARGO, but I saw that about 2 months after its release and all through those 2 months I was told how it was the funniest movie ever made... I was disappointed, but only slightly).
I was used to having my little Coen loving community around me, so it was quite a shock when I started hearing friends and acquaintances tell me how shitty INTOLERABLE CRUELTY looked.
I had read an early draft of the script and kept trying to tell these people that it is a Coen Bros movie, filled with their brilliant zany characters and dialogue that makes them so goddamn brilliant. I still got a, "Yeah, whatever."
Maybe something had changed or their script didn't take to film, like I had seen happen with Charlie Kaufman's HUMAN NATURE script, which was a great read that translated terribly to the screen.
After seeing INTOLERABLE CRUELTY, I am yet again baffled by the Coen's talent. They somehow were able to hide an honest to God off the wall Coen Bros movie in a mainstream film, the way a parent will hide medicine in a sugary treat. In this case, the difficult child is the mainstream movie-goer who will be tricked into seeing (and appreciating) a Coen Bros movie and may never even know they were duped. Likewise, INTOLERABLE CRUELTY acts like a great dose of potent anti-biotic, pumping life and energy into the current film scene.
It has been a long, long while since I've seen a comedy play to such constant and loud laughter and applause. The theater I saw INTOLERABLE CRUELTY in was mostly full and the audience ate the movie up.
Clooney is terrific in the movie as the bored, but brilliant divorce lawyer Miles Massey. The charm, charisma and subtlety he brings to the character is invaluable. He plays every moment perfectly, proving he's one of the best leading men in the business today.
Catherine Zeta-Jones is radiant in the film. Her brown eyes shine, emoting sexuality, cunning, intelligence... and a longing. She's very much like Jessica Rabbit in the "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way" kinda way.
The supporting cast is fantastic. I miss John Goodman and John Turturro, but like the Stones say, you can't always get what you want. There is a surprise cameo from a Coen semi-regular, even though he's not known for his work with the Coens, that totally caught me off guard... look for it in the "Soap Opera on TV" scene.
INTOLERABLE CRUELTY is a great film, up to the Coen Bros standard quality. I can't see anyone with a heart and/or a sense of humor not liking this movie. The film is through and through Coen, down to the quotable lines. Hell, my audience was saying "You're gonna nail his ass!" along with the movie before it was done.
The Coens have made a movie that will succeed with audiences during it's first run better than most that came before. O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? is a great film, but its success was a fluke. A period '20s retelling of The Odyssey with a bunch of Bluegrass music? You can't tell me that's mainstream. I'm happy for them, but they totally lucked out. My favorites of theirs have made just enough money to keep them getting work.
This film a bona fide crowd pleaser. It's edgy enough to be fresh, yet the humor is appealing to the masses. The story is sweet enough to get the "Awwww" reaction, but riddled with that great Coen dark humor.
I loved the movie and would recommend it whole-heartedly to just about anyone. We all know that asshole who hates Coen Bros movies just because... We don't like that asshole, but we all know one of those cocksuckers. If you don't, consider yourself lucky. For the rest of us who enjoy great films and truly funny comedies, you can't ask for anything better than INTOLERABLE CRUELTY.
They even have a little nightmare scene in the film that is creepy as all hell! I can't help but try to imagine what a Coen Bros horror film would be like. They started in horror... editing EVIL DEAD and FEAR NO EVIL... the mind boggles at the prospect of a Coen horror film. I hope they go for it some day, like Kaufman and Jonze. We'll see.
Now I just want the next one. Comedy, drama, horror... whatever. I get very greedy with my Coen Bros movies. Their track record is second to none and I can't wait to see what comes next... I can't wait for LADYKILLERS... and if that Jesus Quintana movie ever comes to fruition, I think I'll do a happy jig and give the world a hug... ah... the possibilities...
That's it from me, squirts. I have to get to bed. Big, super-fucking-cool interview tomorrow morning. Gotta be rested up or this Shaolin master will slaughter me. I bid you a fine farewell and adieu.
-Quint
