One of Those "Off" Coen Brothers Movies

Overall, the Coens have a helluva a record of achievement(since 1984!) and at least these classics, yes?

Blood Simple
Raising Arizona
Millers Crossing
Fargo
The Big Lebowski
No Country for Old Men
True Grit

Plus a bunch of other films that score high on everyone's personal scale.

But they seemed to hit a slump there in the early 2000's. This movie and then the next year, "The Ladykillers."

Except I really like "The Ladykillers" and I feel it was oddly targeted and the plot remains surefire(a gang of men out to kill an old woman ending up only killing each other) and the transfer from London to Mississipi, inspired.

I like "Intolerable Cruelty" LESS than "The Ladykillers," and I think there are two reasons why:

ONE: It isn't entirely a "Coen Brothers film." The script was evidently in development for years with other possible directors(Jonathan Demme) and other possible stars(Will Smith, Richard Gere/Julia Roberts) and despite the Coen flourishes...it FEELS like somebody else's script.

TWO: The subject matter is magnificently off-putting: women who marry for money (and the men who enable them.) The happy ending that takes a long, long, long time to get to -- doesn't fit the overall theme of the movie at all.

So..."off."

But as with most great auteurs, these guys are incapable of making a bad movie, and some of the touches must reflect the script they re-wrote, so here's what's to like:

Cedric the Entertainer as private eye Gus Petch, whose catch phrase "I'm gonna nail yo' ass!" never stops being funny, from beginning to end.

Clooney and Zeta-Jones, in all of their 2003 gorgeous glory(the roles were at one time intended for Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and they had neither the comedy chops nor, Robert's case, quite the great looks for these roles.)

Clooney especially. Handsome indeed but possessed of the ability to overdo both the facial comedy and the line readings with a certain nutcase precision. Yes, sometimes he overdoes it, but most of the time...he's hilarious. Clooney had done this for the Coens with Oh Brother Where Art Thou, and he'd do it again in the fitfully funny, "Hail Caesar."

The Baron on the witness stand, ,up to and including the dog trying to escape his grasp and the judge saying "I'll allow it" when the respondent tries to strangle him.

Wheezy Joe...a character(I'll bet) that only the Coens could write and (I'm sure) an actor only the Coens could cast.

Billy Bob Thornton in his peak comedy year of 2003 -- Bad Santa as his masterpiece, his cameos here and in Love Actually making the most of his bad boy charisma.

Carter Burwell's oft-used "riotous comedy action music" for such moments as Geoffrey Rush(wasted here) opening fire on his cheating wife and the pool man; and for Cedric's various nailing of asses.

And....its still not good enough. The stars shine but the script does not. Truly unlikeable characters. A truly unappetizing look at marriage as a weapon of greed. Unbelieveable ending.

The next year : The Ladykillers, with major star Tom Hanks yet and -- still trouble.

But in only four years -- No Country for Old Men -- again not a "pure" Coen brothers script, and thus rather controlled, nabbing Best Picture and Best Everything Else. (Likely a reward from the Academy after all those crazy years.)

And in 7 years: True Grit, so faithful to the original that it was almost like Van Sant's Psycho -- except it made a lot more money. The biggest hit for the Coens so far.

They are still working today -- their Netflix flick The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is full of charm and sadness.

But it will be interesting to see. Will they ever peak as they did with their classics? Or will they slump as they did with this movie here?