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Mean Mr. Mustard Has Our First INTOLERABLE CRUELTY Review!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
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.
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Clooney is becoming one of those actors who have the luxury of working with some of the best directors around... TWICE (Coens), or MORE (soderbergh)! lucky git. I seem to suffering from a bad case of envy...
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Isn't it a derogative comment against Jews?
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Oops. But yeah, I remember in Enemy of the State someone calls Will Smith a "shyster" and he says something like "You mean eggplant - shyster is a racial slur against Jewish people." Or something like that.
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Jan 22, 2003 8:31:43 AM CST
"Intolerable Cruelty"?... Mmmmh... sounds like any film starring
by granhalcon
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While I love Fargo, Oh Brother, and The Man Who Wasn't There, as indeed I love all Coen Bros. films... Millers Crossing and Raising Arizona are there best movies by far. Hudsucker Proxy is probably there most beautiful film, and the most Terry Gilliam-est. And really, how can you not like a Coen Brother - Sam Raimi partnership (Okay, Crimewave was a little stupid, but I still dug it in a silly sort of way)? I also have a deep affection for Blood Simple, it being their first and all. A very simple but brilliantly effective film. Cleverly shot and written. My point? The Coen's last three films are there (I don't want to say worst)... Least satisfying. :) So I wonder where that puts IC? Sounds like this guy is a Coen newby. Only notes the critically acclaimed films.
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You mean they found someone else to play the fat hitman rather than John Goodman!? Hell, he is the saving grace in Big Lebowski and O brother. And for that matter he pretty much rules in all the Coehn flicks he's been in.
Alright maybe I need some coffee...but this still sounds like another great one from the boys! -
The German word for feces.
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Shyster is a slang term for a lawyer. Usually a slimy lawyer. Shylock is a reference to the main character in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" and it basically means "loan shark." Shylock, in the play, is Jewish and is not a particularly attractive character.
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Jan 22, 2003 12:41:43 PM CST
Just a random note: I wish I could get as excited about movies a
by blue devil
I'm sorry, but I didn't spew over Attack of the Clones or The Two Towers. I didn't like Gangs and I thought Catch Me If You Can was okay (I actually enjoyed Hanks much more than DiCaprio). I'm not into the more artsy films like The Hours, Frida or Adaptation (I still have a bad taste in my mouth from Being John Malkovich). I didn't care for Oh Brother or The Man Who Wasn't There. And Chicago, please. To be honest, the most enjoyable film of the season has been Two Weeks Notice. Sandy and Hugh did a good job and the film was cute. Was it a great film? No. I'd definitely like to see Bullock do a comedy on the level of While You Were Sleeping, but let's be honest, those days are over. When you're in an era where you can't even count on Lucas and Spielberg to deliver, who can you count on? Please, Jim, come back to us (but only when you're ready).
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I'm sorry, I like O' Brother Where Art Thou, as much as any other Coen Bros fan, meaning I thought it was fun and well shot, but as far as there body of work is concerned, it falls far short of their earlier triumphs, Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, and The Big Lebowski, if any actor is the Coen Bros. Deniro it is John Turturro. He's given flawless performances in four Coen Bros films, while Clooney overacted his way through only one, and had every scene stolen from him by Turturro.
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So it was "to cold and cynical for most viewers"? How many viewers were interviewed? MOST of them didnt watch the same movie I did.
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I have just as much business posting my opinion on this site as any of you do. Just because I don't go around with my Lord of the Rings t-shirt waxing about Aragorn and his eventual kingship doesn't mean my opinion doesn't count. Also, I said the most enjoyable film of the season was Two Weeks Notice. Which, in my opinion, is true. What's wrong with that? Are comedies not elligible for opinion on this most intellectual of websites? How many Kevin Smith set reports did we have to wade through for the disappointing Jay and Silent Bob (I laughed more in Two Weeks Notice than I did in that bomb). Anyway, take it easy, Stan, you geeks should really calm down.
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Jan 22, 2003 1:30:06 PM CST
"Mom, if you were in a German shyster video, you'd tell me, woul
by radagast t brown
Kyle's mom is a bitch.
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Perhaps it's obvious to some that my favorite Coen Bros flick is Raising Arizona, but I've really loved most. Part of what sets them apart, at least to me, is the unparalleled sense of place and the ability to make an engaging character out of the setting. RA was merciless in its depiction of the trappings of Southwestern trailer life, and "Fargo's" best scene may have involved the Asian gentleman with a Scandinavian accent. That said, can they pull off the same with modern Los Angeles? What hasn't been said about LA too many times already? LA Story? It's Like...You Know? Do we really need more of that? Can the Coens really transcend it?
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shyster-schei
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I, too thought Two Weeks Notice was great. In fact, all I could think about on the way home from the theater, over the great Christina Aguilera song from her Beethoven-approaching new album, Stripped, was how much I wanted to stop by the nearest blockbuster and pick up that brilliuant cinematic work, Psycho. I mean, what color in that film, and I was shocked when Anne Heche bought it in the shower. I NEVER SAW THAT COMING! Seriously, Stan Gable, I don't like people knocking my taste in movies. You geeks, I just don't understand this fascination with Spielberg and Scorsese. I mean, Titanic was a much better movie. I nearly cried when Leo let go of Kate's hand at the end. But you know, I just don't like violence in my movies. Like last night, my boyfriend wanted to show me this trio of movies called fettucini westerns, starring Dirty Harry himself, directed by a guy named Sergio Tachini... They were ok. But I just didn't thing they were anything compared to Lonesome Dove. I don't know. You geeks really don't know your cinema. Pardon me while I go blow my roomates and watch that dream doubleheader, Speed and Hope Floats.
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Roger Deakins is my favorite working DP... but as the reviewer guy says it "doesn't have the scope, sweep, and visual punch" as the other works; I hope its not substandard. The premise sounds good, and I'm sure everything is airtight, but I hope and hope and fucking hope that the cinematography is spot on and as mezmerizing as hudsucker and big lebowski and well, every fucking thing else he did. maybe he's going for a more "stark" approach.
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Like, "Pauly your shylock is the most important etc etc." Also I agree with halloween68 in that John Turturro rips the mic to shreds and out-acts clooney all the way. I DO dig clooney's acting, not shooting him down ;)
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... or a math problem? There were practically as many numbers as letters in that bit. Looks like a good year of more of the same from Hollywood... no doubt another recordsetter eh?
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Wasn't that term all over "Get Shorty," in reference to John Travolta's profession and not any Jewish meaning?
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O Brother BELOW the Big Lebowski? Listen, Lebowski might have been a funnier film than O Brother (that's debatable in my opinion), but Lebowski was a comedy, nothing more. It, alonside Raising Arizona, is probably the slightest in the Coen ouevre. I know I'm committing geek suicide by stating this, but the film simply doesn't aspire to the levels that other Coen brothers films do. O Brother is a melting pot of religious themes and motifs. It takes a few viewings to substantially untangle the mess of ideas floating around in regards to God, satan, and humanity, but this is the case with the very best Coen films: they slowly reveal themselves to you the more you watch them. We'll be lucky if Intolerable Cruelty falls into this category of Coen Brothers film, alongside Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, Hudsucker, Fargo, TMMWT, and O Brother. But, if it is a mere comedy like Lebowski, at least we can count on some unique hilarity.
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Jan 23, 2003 3:45:13 AM CST
"Trust me Universal, between The Hulk, X2, The Matrix 2, T-3, Ba
by god of forkery
...would get totally lost in the shuffle.
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Truly, 2003 is the year of the Sequel.
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O BROTHER was a big disappointment for a lot of hardcore Coen fans in the long term -- it was honey-dipped for a broader audience and along the way it lost a few of the sharp edges Coen films are known for. Turtutto and Goodman held up fine, even Clooney wasn't terrible -- it just wasn't as slick.
As for THE BIG LEBOWSKI, I think this one is going to get underappreciated for a long, long time. I think it's a fucking shame that comedy is most-often thought to be entertainment, not art. Sure, we've been given a lot of shit over the years, but....oh hell, I'm too baked to bother tying this one together. -
In a country full of bougie artists, Nam vets, television writers who live in iron lungs, new wave German nihilist porn stars, and bowling pedophiles the dude is the last of the cowboys. A modern day homage to the kinds of people that settled LA and made it home before the menagerie crashed the party. The Big Lebowsi is no mere comedy. It's a tribute to old Hollywood (The Big Sleep) and old LA.
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And he's the bad money lender. Lots of argument about whether he should be played sympathetically or not, but he can be. Anyway, the term has come to mean 'Loan Shark', which is just bad in itself, nothing to do with being bad because your Jewish. At least the word has been used so often it's lost the racial element. See John Travolta in Get Shorty, referring to himself as a Shylock as proof of this. (Historical note: Jews in Shylock's time weren't allowed to trade goods, so had to be money lenders.) Shyster isn't really used as a racial slur by anyone, and you're really going out of your way to find it racist.
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