'Intolerable Cruelty'
(George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones / PG-13 / 100 mins / Universal)
Overview: Celebrated Beverly Hills divorce attorney Miles Massey (George Clooney) is bored with his continued success and wants a real challenge. He finds it in the form of the gorgeous Marilyn Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones). She's the wife of one of his clients (Edward Herrmann), a wealthy real estate developer whose infidelity is caught on tape. Marilyn and her attorney (Cedric the Entertainer), certain of a lucrative judgment in their favor, are stunned when Miles works his courtroom magic and prevails, leaving her broke. Marilyn rebounds by marrying an oil tycoon (Billy Bob Thornton), which is all part of her plan to get revenge on Miles, who finds himself attracted to this shrewd, sexy woman.
Verdict: 'Intolerable Cruelty' is elegant, cheerfully cynical fun of the kind we used to get regularly from Billy Wilder, Howard Hawks and other masters of the classic Hollywood screwball comedy! Rarely has strife between the sexes been so ruthless, so civilized, and so funny. 'Intolerable Cruelty' is as willfully arcane and offbeat as any Coen picture, but it also has plenty of broad laughs! Smart, speedy, and thoroughly entertaining.