Engage the Enemy
“Intolerable Cruelty” is widely
considered to be one of the weakest films by the Coen brothers, and while I share
that viewpoint I do think that it is a movie that gets nagged on more than it
deserves. It is also my opinion that if this was a film directed by anyone else
but the Coens it would get a much easier pass. “Intolerable Cruelty” is actually
quite a pleasant comedy that poses a surprising level of sophistication.
In many ways this is the Coen’s
spin on screwball comedy as the humor is very much in line with screwball
classics like “Bringing Up Baby” and “My Man Godfrey” with quick and snappy
dialogue and gender tensions - screwball tropes that are repackaged for modern
audiences and given that great Coen aesthetic stamp. As it’s the case with all
their other films as well, “Intolerable Cruelty” is technically defined first
and foremost by its outstanding pacing. It is rarely said (or at least it is
not stressed enough) but beyond just being great writers and directors the
Coens are also truly amazing editors and that comes through in this film as well
since the rather thick and twisty plot is very easy to digest and follow.
And more than any other Coen film
“Intolerable Cruelty” is primarily a plot driven piece. Yes the characters are
very unique and memorable as is usual for their films, but they are not as
complex as in some of their other work. But this is in a lot of ways one of the
hallmarks of the genre that they’re toying with here, and the colorful cast and
the great leading pair make this an easy burden to bear.
In fact I found it delightful to
watch George Clooney swoon over the wickedly fetching Catherine Zeta-Jones,
because it is very easy to relate to his buffoonish romanticism since she is in
her most attractive outing in this film. And Clooney is his usual charming
self, just further confirming that he is indeed the modern incarnation of Cary
Grant.
Another thing to note is just the
degree to which this film satirizes the American legal system and lawyers in
general. Just the levels of absurdity that the Coens milk out of this single
aspect of the film is quite amazing, but then again it always was quite a
fertile area for comedy.
The film also holds an odd
position in the filmography of the Coen brothers, as before it they made one of
their most cryptic and challenging film with “The Man Who Wasn’t There” - a
film that is a great artistic accomplishment by any standard. And they then
followed it up with “The Ladykillers”, which in many ways is very similar to “Intolerable
Cruelty” since it is also an attempt at a more mass appeal movie by the
brothers. They did a solid job with both films (and especially with this film), but the quality of their output
clearly slumped.
So these two films mark the
lowest point in their career so far, but let’s be honest and admit that most professional
careers don’t even have high points of this quality. And if these films had to
happen for them to make the great films that followed then this dip in quality
was very much worth it in my opinion. And actually they do kind of stand as a solid entry point for anyone that is not familiar with the work of these great filmmakers.
Cast:
George Clooney - Miles
Catherine Zeta-Jones - Marylin
Geofrey Rush - Donovan Donaly
Billy Bob Thornton - Howard D. Doyle
Richard Jenkins - Freddy Bender
No comments:
Post a Comment