I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I got the screening invitation for the Coen Brothers’ latest film, Intolerable Cruelty. It looked like a romantic comedy, and I just couldn’t see how or why the Coen Bros. would be involved with such a project. It didn’t seem “unique”.
Then the film started. Geoffery Rush is singing in the car. It’s funny. Funnier than it really sounds. Within the first 4 minutes, the tone of the film was set. And it was good. It’s a quirky comedy with “bite” – yes, there’s romance, even a bit of dramatic underplay. But there were mainly laughs. George Clooney is Miles Massey, one of the best divorce lawyers out there. Catherine Zeta-Jones is Marylin Rexroth, who is suing her husband for divorce – apparently she was just out to get the money. As the story plays out, time marches on in many ways – the film seems to take place over the course of a year – but there was never a dull moment. This is a movie about characters, with witty and snappy dialogue. Everyone delivers fine performances, and this is certainly a film to see.
On a musical note, the songs picked for the film are excellent. From the Simon & Garfunkle tunes, to the classical music, to Carter Burwell’s score. I will certainly not be forgetting the Scottish Bagpipe version of “Like A Bridge Over Troubled Water” anytime soon.