The Coen Brothers have one of the best track records in all of Hollywood - from Blood Simple to The Big Lebowski to The Man Who Wasn't There - but they still haven't delivered a big box office hit. Even Fargo, which was nominated for best picture and several other awards, only pulled in around 25 million. With so much talent in their writing and behind the camera, it seems like only a matter of time before they connect with a wider audience. This brings us to Intolerable Cruelty, starring George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones, set to hit theaters in October.


I've seen the trailer a few times now and with each viewing I only want to see it more. George Clooney - who turned in a wonderful comedic performance in the Coen's O Brother, Where Art Thou? - plays a divorce attorney who manages to conquer a gold-digger in court, nevermind that his client committed adultery. The gold-digger is played by an absolutely stunning Catherine Zeta-Jones (no warm-blooded male could possibly miss how good she looks in this film), and the two of them basically exchange a lot of witty banter in the process of falling in love.

The story comes off as a clever, tongue-in-cheek battle of the sexes, and as long as it receives a wide release, I'd expect it to shatter the Coen's previous opening weekend record (otherwise The Ladykillers starring Tom Hanks should do the trick). If Intolerable Cruelty does perform as well as I think it can, this would also put an end to the Best Supporting Actress jinx, as Catherine Zeta-Jones recently took home the award for Chicago but doesn't appear to be slowing down whatsoever.

Posted August 09, 2003 | link