Film Catherine Zeta Jones George Clooney

2003 film by Joel Coen

Intolerable Cruelty
Theatrical release affiche
Directed by	Joel Coen
Screenplay by	Robert Ramsey Matthew Stone Ethan Coen Joel Coen
Story past	John Romano Robert Ramsey Matthew Stone
Produced by	Ethan Coen Brian Grazer
Starring	George Clooney Catherine Zeta-Jones Geoffrey Rush Cedric the Entertainer Edward Herrmann Richard Jenkins Billy Bob Thornton
Cinematography	Roger Deakins
Edited by	Roderick Jaynes
Music by	Carter Burwell
Production companies	Imagine Entertainment Mike Zoss Productions Alphaville
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	September ii, 2003 (2003-09-02) (Venice) October 10, 2003 (2003-10-10)
Running time	100 minutes
State	U.s.a.
Language	English
Budget	$60 million^[ane]
Box office	$120.2 million^[2]

Intolerable Cruelty is a 2003 American romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Joel and Ethan Coen, and produced by Brian Grazer and the Coens. The script was written past Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone and Ethan and Joel Coen, with the latter writing the last draft of the screenplay. The picture stars George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Geoffrey Rush, Cedric the Entertainer, Edward Herrmann, Paul Adelstein, Richard Jenkins and Billy Bob Thornton.

Plot [edit]

Donovan Donaly, a TV lather opera producer, walks in on his wife Bonnie existence intimate with an ex-beau. He files for divorce, and Bonnie hires Miles Massey, a top divorce chaser and the inventor of the "Massey pre-nup", a completely foolproof prenuptial agreement. Miles wins a big property settlement against Donaly, leaving him broke.

Private investigator Gus Petch tails the wealthy and married Male monarch Rexroth on a drunken night out with a blonde. When they end at a cabin, Gus catches their tryst on video. He takes the video to Rex's wife, Marylin Rexroth, a matrimony-for-money predator. She files for divorce, demanding a large property settlement. Unable to afford a divorce settlement, King hires Miles to represent him. Marylin's friend, serial divorcée Sarah Sorkin warns Marilyn that Miles volition exist a unsafe opponent.

Marylin and her lawyer, Freddy Bender neglect to reach an agreement with Miles and Rex. Bored Miles asks the fascinating Marylin to dinner, where they flirt. While they are out, Petch breaks in and copies her address book for Miles, who has his assistant search among the names for Marylin'due south accomplice in predatory matrimony. In court, Marylin feigns an emotional breakdown over Male monarch'southward infidelity, professing that she loved Rex unconditionally at first sight. Miles so calls "Puffy" Krauss von Espy, a Swiss hotel concierge located by his assistant. Puffy testifies that Marylin asked him to find her a matrimony target who was very rich, foolish, and a philanderer whom she could hands divorce, and that he pointed her to Rex. The divorce is granted, but Marylin gets nix.

Seeking revenge against Miles, Marylin finds the now-penniless Donaly living on the street, all the same clutching his Emmy statuette, and offers him a hazard to repossess his lost celebrity. Soon after, Marylin shows upwardly at Miles' function with her new fiancé, oil millionaire Howard D. Doyle. Marylin insists on the Massey prenup, which will make it admittedly impossible for her to claim any of her fiancée's avails in the event of a divorce, over both Howard and Miles'due south objections. However, Howard destroys it during the wedding, equally a demonstration of love.

Six months later, Miles goes to Las Vegas, Nevada to give the keynote address at a convention for divorce attorneys. He encounters Marylin, who has divorced Howard and presumably collected a sizable share of the Doyle Oil fortune. However, she admits that she is disenchanted with her wealthy simply lonely life. Miles marries her on the spur of the moment, and signs the Massey prenup to prove that he has no interest in her fortune, merely she tears it upward. The next morning, Miles tells the convention that love is the well-nigh important affair, and that he is giving upwardly divorce for pro bono piece of work.

Presently afterwards, Miles discovers that "Howard D. Doyle" is only an actor from one of Donaly's soap operas; Marylin tricked him, leaving his considerable wealth at risk. Desperate to save the firm'due south reputation, Miles' boss, Herb Myerson suggests hiring hitman "Wheezy Joe" to impale Marylin. Miles then learns that Marylin's ex-husband Rex has died without irresolute his volition, leaving her his unabridged fortune. Since she is now the wealthier of the two parties, his assets are no longer at take chances. A repentant Miles rushes to save Marylin from Joe, but Marilyn has already offered to pay him double to kill Miles instead. In the confusion of the ensuing struggle, Joe mistakes his gun for his asthma inhaler and accidentally kills himself.

Later, Miles, Marylin and their lawyers run into to negotiate a divorce. Miles pleads for a second chance and retroactively signs a Massey prenup. Realizing her own feelings for him, she tears it up, and they kiss. Marylin reveals that to get Donaly'south help for supplying Howard, she gave him an idea for a hit Boob tube show, restoring his fortunes in the process: America's Funniest Divorce Videos, with Gus as the host.

Cast [edit]

George Clooney as Miles Massey
Catherine Zeta-Jones as Marylin Hamilton Rexroth Doyle Massey
Geoffrey Rush as Donovan Donaly
Cedric the Entertainer as Gus Petch
Edward Herrmann every bit Rex Rexroth
Paul Adelstein as Wrigley
Richard Jenkins as Freddy Bender
Baton Bob Thornton as Howard D. Doyle
Julia Duffy as Sarah Batista O'Flanagan Sorkin
Jonathan Hadary as Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espy
Tom Aldredge as Herb Myerson
Stacey Travis as Bonnie Donaly
Wendle Josepher as Miles' Receptionist
Jack Kyle as Ollie
Isabell O'Connor as Judge Marva Munson
Irwin Keyes as Wheezy Joe
Colin Linden every bit Father Scot
Kiersten Warren as Claire O'Mara
Mia Cottet every bit Ramona Barcelona
George Ives as Mrs. Gutman's lawyer
Blake Clark as convention speaker
Bridget Marquardt as Santa Fe tart #1
Camille Anderson as Santa Atomic number 26 tart #2
Tamie Sheffield every bit Santa Fe tart #3
Emma Harrison as Santa Iron tart #four

Development [edit]

Intolerable Cruelty is the Coens' first job every bit writers-for-hire. It was based on an original concept by John Romano, author of The Third Phenomenon (Agnieszka Holland, 1999) and had been developed into a screenplay by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone, who wrote Big Trouble (Barry Sonnenfeld, 2002) and Life (Ted Demme, 1999).^[3] Among the script doctors who took a pass on the screenplay was Carrie Fisher in 1994.^[4]

The script was passed amidst directors and writers for several years, unremarkably starting from the Coens' version.^[3]

Production [edit]

Initially the screenplay was attached to Ron Howard and so Jonathan Demme, who had planned to cast Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in the lead roles.^[5] After their planned film of James Dickey's novel To The White Ocean fell through, the Coens signed to direct the movie and dug out their original script to work with.^[5] Filming began on 20 June 2002 after being delayed due to George Clooney's schedule.^[3] Nearly of the moving-picture show was shot around Beverly Hills; some was filmed in Las Vegas during a week at the stop of product. With a budget of $threescore million, it is the most expensive moving-picture show directed by the Coens.^[3]

Reception [edit]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has an approval rating of 75% based on 187 reviews, with an boilerplate rating of six.80/x. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though more mainstream than other Coen films, in that location are still funny oddball touches, and Clooney and Zeta-Jones sizzle similar old-time movie stars."^[6]

Box office [edit]

The moving picture opened with a gross of $12.v meg. By the stop of its run, it had grossed $35.3 million in the United States and $85.5 one thousand thousand in other countries for a worldwide total of $120.8 1000000.

Soundtrack [edit]

Original Movement Moving picture Soundtrack: Intolerable Cruelty

Soundtrack album by

Carter Burwell and various artists

Released

Oct vii, 2003

Genre

Film score

Length

50:50

Characterization

Hip-O

Coen Brothers picture soundtracks chronology

The Human being Who Wasn't There
(2001)

Original Movement Picture Soundtrack: Intolerable Cruelty
(2003)

The Ladykillers
(2004)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Movie Music Uk	^[seven]
SoundtrackNet	^[8]

Intolerable Cruelty is scored by Carter Burwell, in his tenth collaboration with the Coen Brothers.

The soundtrack album features a diversity of pop songs and cues from Burwell'southward score. "The Boxer", first past Simon and Garfunkel then equally covered by Colin Linden, opens and closes the anthology. A Canadian blues musician, Linden had previously participated in Downwards from the Mountain, a live performance of music from the Coens' O Brother, Where Art M?, and he performs several Simon and Garfunkel songs in the moving picture, including a snippet of Punky's Dilemma ("I wish I was a Kellogg's Corn Bit"), not included on the soundtrack release. Other songs include "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley, "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" past Édith Piaf and "Glory of Love" past Big Bill Broonzy.

Tracks by Carter Burwell unless otherwise noted.

"The Boxer" (Simon and Garfunkel) – 5:09
"Intolerable Mambo" – ane:41
"Suspicious Minds" (Elvis Presley) – iv:33
"Hanky Panky Choo Choo" – 2:07
"Don't Cry Out Loud" (Melissa Manchester) – 3:48
"Feels So Good" (Chuck Mangione) – 9:42
"You Fascinate Me" – ane:40
"Apr Come up She Will" (written by Paul Simon, performed by Colin Linden) – 0:59
"Heather two Honeymoon" – one:39
"If I Just Knew" (Tom Jones) – 4:18
"Love Is Good" – 3:26
"Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" (Édith Piaf) – 2:21
"No More Working" – 3:01
"Fully Exposed" – 1:46
"Glory of Dearest" (Big Neb Broonzy) – 2:20
"The Boxer" (Colin Linden) – 2:twenty

References [edit]

^ Intolerable Cruelty: The Numbers
^ "Intolerable Cruelty (2003)". Box Role Mojo.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Robson, Eddie (2007). Coen Brothers - Virgin Film. Keen U.k.: Virgin Books LTD. pp. 119–121. ISBN978-0753512685.
^ "Carrie Fisher, Script Doctor: Her Unknown Legacy Examined" past Peter Sciretta, Slash Film. Dec 29, 2016. Accessed May 20, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Walters, Ben (Nov 2003). "Bringing up alimony". Sight and Audio. British Picture Plant (BFI). 13 (eleven): 30. ISSN 0037-4806.
^ [i] Rotten Tomatoes
^ Moviemusicuk.us
^ Soundtrack.cyberspace