Intolerable Cruelty

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Intolerable Cruelty

PG-13

2003

1h 40m

Romance

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

76%

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187 Reviews

48%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Miles Massey (George Clooney) is an exceptional divorce lawyer who specializes in saving cheating husbands from having to pay expensive settlements. Unchallenged, he wearies of his life -- until he meets the cunning Marylin Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones). When Massey's representation of her husband in court denies her any divorce compensation, Marylin vows to get revenge, enlisting the help of an oil baron (Billy Bob Thornton), and the two vie for the advantage in a flirtatious duel of wits.

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Critics Consensus

Though more mainstream than other Coen films, there are still funny oddball touches, and Clooney and Zeta-Jones sizzle like old-time movie stars.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Dec 24, 2010

4/5

Screwball comedy for older teens and adults.

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Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

Oct 13, 2009

Here's an anomaly: a comedy about smart people.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Nov 7, 2007

The Coens do an efficient job of stamping their signature grotesquerie on sumptuous Beverly Hills and Las Vegas settings and ladling on gallows humor and malice, sometimes with the verve of early Robert Zemeckis.

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Andrew Collins

Radio Times

Aug 19, 2025

3/5

There are moments of inspired, slapstick brilliance, and Clooney works his socks off, but it lacks a hard centre and plot keeps racing ahead of character.

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Dec 24, 2023

3.5/5

George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones manage to elevate the Coens' underrated Intolerable Cruelty through their performances and chemistry.

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Mitchell Beaupre

Paste Magazine

Sep 29, 2023

8/10

Just when you think you have a handle on how this story is going to unfold, the Coens toss another massive curveball that throws you for a loop yet again.

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Ben W

@Username618 Jun 2, 2026

Like The Last Seduction with fart jokes? So. The Coen bros were my favourites growing up- swear by. I then... had to account for myself. Couldn't. Swear at. If I'm being serious, and it's a difficult thought to express... I view their work less as a completed work, more as their telling us how they've been doing, suffused with what they've been reading; aaaand. I just find the contempt a bit stifling, sorry. Oeuvre. Making crime novels into film- Dashiell Hammet (Glass Key/ Miller's Crossing), Raymond Chandler (Long Goodbye/Big Lebowski), James M Cain (Postman always.../Man who was not...) , ... Fargo, Blood Simple. Making novels ?- True Grit; No Country for Old Men. Inside Llelwyn Davis, O Brother. A serious man. Barton Fink. Trying to be funny / screwball ? comedy- and just about succeeding; Hudsucker Proxy , Raising Arizona. And failing miserably: The Ladykillers, Intolerable Cruelty, Burn After Reading.

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bob c

@RT46426964 Sep 26, 2025

Opening scenes too good to sustain. But light rom com good ok.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Aug 15, 2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Faiz D

@RT95588871 May 13, 2025

Cruel entertainment... Clooney and Zeta-Jones sparkle!

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Luke S

@put3__ Aug 21, 2023

The idea of this movie is really good and some moments really made me laugh, but the as a whole... it is a MESS. I can't give it over 50% no matter how much others tell me that it is worth it.

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Gareth v

@geewah Jun 19, 2023

Along with "The Labykillers" which followed this movie, the Coen's managed to make two of their worst movies back to back. The jokes are thin, the characters unlikable, just a really disappointing effort.

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Joel Coen

Director

George Clooney

Miles Massey

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Marylin

Geoffrey Rush

Donovan Donaly

Cedric the Entertainer

Gus Petch

Richard Jenkins

Freddy Bender

Intolerable Cruelty: Official Clip - The Urge to Wedlock

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Intolerable Cruelty: Official Clip - Doyle Eats the Prenup

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Intolerable Cruelty: Official Clip - You Fascinate Me

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Intolerable Cruelty: Official Clip - That Silly Man

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Intolerable Cruelty: Official Clip - Carnivores

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Intolerable Cruelty: Official Clip - It's a Negotiation

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Intolerable Cruelty: Official Clip - The Senior Partner

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Intolerable Cruelty: Official Clip - Wheezy Joe

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Intolerable Cruelty: Official Clip - Love Is Good

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Intolerable Cruelty: Official Clip - The Ass Nailer

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Synopsis

Miles Massey (George Clooney) is an exceptional divorce lawyer who specializes in saving cheating husbands from having to pay expensive settlements. Unchallenged, he wearies of his life -- until he meets the cunning Marylin Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones). When Massey's representation of her husband in court denies her any divorce compensation, Marylin vows to get revenge, enlisting the help of an oil baron (Billy Bob Thornton), and the two vie for the advantage in a flirtatious duel of wits.

Director: Joel Coen
Producer: Brian Grazer, Ethan Coen
Screenwriter: Robert Ramsey, Matthew Stone, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Robert Ramsey, Matthew Stone, John Romano
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: The KL Line, Imagine Entertainment, Alphaville Films
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Brief Violence|Sexual Content)
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 10, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 22, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $35.1M
Runtime: 1h 40m
Sound Mix: Surround

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