Intolerable Cruelty

Marylin Rexroth is a seductively beautiful gold-digger who has married the wealthy but stupid Rex Rexroth to get her hands on his fortune. Marylin obtains proof of her husband's infidelity and drags him to court, but at the finishing line it all goes wrong. The other side has hired the star lawyer Miles Massey, who is roughly as cynical and calculating as Marylin.

Although Miles humiliates Marylin in court, she seeks Miles out when she has found a new filthy-rich husband. Miles is somewhat puzzled when Marylin insists that the couple sign a prenuptial agreement under which, in the event of divorce, each party leaves with as much as they brought into the marriage; in Marylin's case, in other words, practically nothing. Miles even tries to talk Marylin out of her plan, but she insists and gets her way. Naturally it will not be the last time the two cross swords.

Intolerable Cruelty is being marketed as a romantic comedy, but you will have to look long and hard for romance. The passion is there, but true love rarely fares well in the Coen brothers' films. The protagonists are too selfish and self-absorbed in their desire for that. On the other hand, the film is witty and constantly surprising. This time the Coen brothers have chosen to go the mainstream route, but they have nevertheless left their fingerprints, not least with a series of eccentric characters in the supporting roles.