Coens go to Hollywood

Writers/directors the Coen brothers go frighteningly mainstream with ?Intolerable Cruelty.?… Writers/directors the Coen brothers go frighteningly mainstream with ?Intolerable Cruelty.? It?s a pleasant comedy, but it?s rather below the brothers, whose best films are small, dark, intelligent, edgy and unique. ?Intolerable? is big, bright and easy entertainment.

The film has some distinct Coen moments ? a producer stabbed with his daytime TV award, an elderly woman testifying the details of being her husband?s sex slave, a show-stopping misfortune involving an inhaler. But even those are played more broadly and eagerly than you?d ever expect from filmmakers who gained a following making decidedly cerebral films.

The discrepancy may be due to the fact that the Coens originally wrote the film eight years ago ? for someone else to direct. The script is nowhere near as daring or intricate as the ones they routinely write for themselves.

Miles Massey (George Clooney) is the film?s central contradiction: a romantic divorce lawyer. He?s at the top of his game ? his notoriously ?impenetrable? prenuptial agreement is on the curriculum at Harvard Law ? but he?s bored and looking for something more. While foiling her attempt to take all of her husband?s money in a divorce she manufactured, Miles inadvertently becomes obsessed with Marylinn Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Miles wants love, but Marilyn?s still determined to get her fortune ? she immediately goes on the hunt for another rich husband to swindle ? and wouldn?t mind beating Miles at his own game while she?s at it.

Clooney?s typical swagger works well here ? his version of the ace leading man who goes soft is appreciable enough. Likewise, Zeta-Jones is fine as the beautiful flower that?s really a predator. Neither of them has to do much stretching.

It?s the supporting cast that disappoints. When you?re actors? favorites like the Coen brothers, you can get pretty much get anyone you want for even the small roles, but that doesn?t mean the parts deserve the actors. In particular, Geoffrey Rush and Cedric the Entertainer have precious little to do. Their scenes tease the audience with characters who deserve more depth.

On the technical end, the whole affair is well executed. Both frequent Coen collaborators, cinematographer Roger Deakins gives the film a bold, sunny look and composer Carter Burwell lends a lively score that?s frequently punctuated with Simon and Garfunkel songs.

Overall, the film is reasonably high-end in the spectrum of recent romantic comedies, if not in the Coen spectrum. But really, when filmmakers like Sofia Coppola, Clint Eastwood and Quentin Tarantino are currently coming through with the goods, how high is ?The Coens go to Hollywood? ? I mean ?Intolerable Cruelty? ? on your list?