Intolerable Cruelty - Impressions
 

First impressions -- Looks to be the worst Coen brothers film.

I think it looks fun and quirky a big budget quirky

Impressions of what? The trailer?

I thought it was a great trailer myself, but knowing the Coen Bros. it probably doen't tell us anything about the movie.

the trailer did look a bit bland... very mainstream. i'm pretty sure it's not the Coens who cut the trailer though so it's probably the studio trying to make it as appealing to everyone as possible. i'm sure it will still be their most mainstream-appealing film to date though.. i'm still very much looking forward to seeing it as i have complete confidence in the brothers.

I hope its humor is similar to the Hudsucker Proxy.

yeah...trailer was very mainstream and turned me off to it...but I know I will see it anyway since I cant imagine them even attempting a mainstream movie as that would be the antithesis of what they stand for and their work.

Wow, I was pretty underwhelmed by the trailer. I would never have guessed by looking at it that it was a Coen Brother's movie. But I've learned you can't always judge a movie by it's trailer (I remember the first Pulp Fiction trailer I saw made it look terrible.
Another thing that undermines any enthusiasm I might have for it is the writing credits. It dosen't like to be an idea the Coen brothers came up with as there's three people credited with 'Story by', and two other names recieving screenplay credits.
But still, too early to tell. I'm not one to miss something by the Coen brothers.

Yeah, the trailer was nothing special, but with the talent behind it, it would be hard to imagine it not delivering in some capacity.

"You...fascinate me!"

Ditto what Crocker said.

It is the firs Coen Bros. film where they share screenwrting credit with someone else.

Could that be a bad sign?

it's a coens bros. film so I am already impressed.

Well, they did co-write Hudsucker Proxy with Sam Raimi and it turned out OK. :)
I've seen good movies that have had bad trailers before, so I'm hoping for the best.

I didn't realize what movie it was until the Coen Bros. name came on screen, at which point I almost felt obligated to be interested... But, sadly, I can't bring myself to be. Just doesn't look very good!

I didn't like the trailer either. However, I also find that trailers are best suited for "spectacle" films. Comedic trailers often give away some of the best jokes in the movie. Thriller/suspense trailers often give away too much of the plot (if there is one). Some of the best trailers I've seen have nothing to do with the actual movie - Jerry Seinfeld's "The Comedian" for example.

George Clooney seemed to be channeling his character from "O Brother" (not that it's a bad thing, but I want to see actors playing different characters differently).

"Intolerable Cruelty" is also opening the same week as "Kill Bill" (October 10th). I'm not sure which I'll see first. Probably "Kill Bill", since I've been waiting for it longer.

You mean you'll see the first half of Kill Bill. ;)

I too was underwhelmed by the trailer, but aside from O' Brother, I have yet to see a Coen Bros. preview that got me hooked, and that was only because I knew what they were about.
In all honesty, it would be very difficult to make a Coen Bros. movie look mainstream and appealing at the same time. Looking at some of the DVDs they have made, all of them had pretty weak previews.

I thought the trailer was pretty good, there were some parts that had me laughing.. I'm looking forward to this..

Re: Intolerable Cruelty - Impressions
 

IMO The Man who wasn't there has a firm hold on that title.

looks good... I'll go see it.

Even a tenuous attachment to the Coen's would guarantee my attendance.

Re: Re: Intolerable Cruelty - Impressions
 

So very true.

I have been somewhat anticipating this since I saw the trailer because I usually like much of Clooney's work, and the Coens' for that matter. But this article makes me really excited about this comedy.

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/elsewhere/index.html

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE

"I heard right but I got it wrong when I wrote a piece five weeks ago about the Coen Bros.'s INTOLERABLE CRUELTY (Universal, October 10). I saw it Thursday night (10.2) in Westwood, and can say without blinking or breaking wind it's the most beautifully written and uproarious dark comedy I've seen in ages, and the funniest, piss-in-your-pants Coen Brothers movie ever.

Yes, that means the yoks are richer, just as intelligent, and demonstrably more gut-splitting than those in THE BIG LEBOWSKI.

It's not too hip for the room, which I suggested might be the case after being told by a plugged-in guy about some research screening numbers. There was some "radical last-minute tinkering centering on the second act" going on last last summer (i.e., additional shooting) but whatever they did it sure as hell worked. The decision on Universal's part to take INTOLERABLE to the Venice Film Festival instead of Toronto did seem questionable given Venice's reputation as an easier critical lay than Toronto, but it didn't turn out to be all that significant.

This is a truly stellar acidic comedy about distrust and loathing between the sexes. It's not too arch in my book. It may have been a gig-for-hire for Joel and Ethan Coen, but they should think about making more mainstream laughers in this vein. They should also consider signing a ten-year indentured servant contract with producer Brian Grazer, because their creative combustion together is sublime.

CRUELTY delivers the single funniest visual gag I've experienced in I don't know many years. I couldn't stop laughing at it. I missed some dialogue in a scene that followed because I couldn't stop.

George Clooney delivers his best performance ever, comic or otherwise -- he's really hit the bullseye this time. Catherine Zeta Jones didn't piss me off like I thought she would and is actually subtle and on-target.

And the Universal spokesperson I quoted in my August article wasn't just "doing his job" -- he was completely on the money.

"INTOLERABLE plays flat-out great," he said. "The Coens maintain their idiosyncratic style but intentionally made a film with an accessible, mainstream appeal that's more associated with Brian Grazer, who produced it. It's a witty throwback to some of the Sturges, Cukor or Hawks romantic comedies that relied on sexual chemistry and verbal repartee, and George, Catherine, Billy Bob and the whole cast are more than up to stepping up to that. You're going to love it."

Clooney plays Miles, a slippery divorce attorney who crosses swords with Zeta Jones' Marylin over the course of three marriages and three torn-up prenup agreements.

As I recounted previously, CRUELTY started as a script by John Romano ("Monk," "Hill Street Blues"). His script was substantially re-written by Robert Ramsay and Matthew Stone (LIFE, BIG TROUBLE), but the verdict came down that their version was "funny but not good enough," according to a producer who was around at the time. This activity happened maybe six or seven years ago. Then Alphaville's Jim Jacks brought in Joel and Ethan Coen to rewrite CRUELTY "for money," the source says.

Then Grazer's Imagine Entertainment worked its way into things. Grazer declared at one stage in the game that Ron Howard would direct, but that never happened. In any event, once Imagine was in "they never left," says the producer. And then later "other directors and producers came and went" before the Coens were lured back to direct.

The rest of what I heard about the film lacking emotion or being overly arch was wrong or short-sighted or whatever. I apologize to everyone connected with this film for whatever negative impression my August piece may have left with anyone. I still maintain that Universal publicity has conveyed a vaguely standoffish attitude towards INTOLERABLE CRUELTY, as if deep down they don't believe in it 110%, but that's neither here nor there at this stage. This sucker works, and it wasn't just me who was laughing last night."


I don't always agree w/ what Wells says, but sometimes the man is spot on w/ his takes on things. Hopefully he is right on w/ this piece.

I'll wait until I see it a couple of times before I pass judgment; most Coen Bros. films have to grow on you.

I went to an advanced screening of this tonight. I was only slightly disappointed. I guess overall I would say it was "good" but it certainly wasn't "great" which is what I usually expect from the Coen brothers. I'm not a big fan of George Clooney, but I must admit he didn't annoy me in this film. But everyone has wildly different tastes when it comes to which Coen films they like the best, so I wouldn't tell anyone to not go see it....I would just say to not set your hopes too high. It is probably my least favorite film by the Coen brothers, but since it was the first time I've been to a theater in several months, I still had a good time (this is probably easier to say when you didn't have to pay $8 to see the movie, lol).

I dunno, the Dialogue play seems like it should be snappier for these particular characters, but that's just going off the ads.

I'll check it out eventually, just not in a total hurry.