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"INTOLERABLE CRUELTY"
(2003) (George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones) (PG-13)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Moderate Minor Heavy Minor Heavy
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Mild None Minor None Heavy
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Heavy Minor Moderate Moderate Moderate


QUICK TAKE:
Romantic Comedy: A veteran divorce attorney inexplicably finds himself falling for a habitual gold digger who may or may not have her sights set on him.
PLOT:
Miles Massey (GEORGE CLOONEY) is probably the best divorce attorney in town. Renowned for his bulletproof pre-nup, he can put a spin on almost any case and end up ruining the lives of innocent people, such as soap opera producer Donovan Donaly (GEOFFREY RUSH) whose wife was cheating on him. With the aid of his associate, Wrigley (PAUL ADELSTEIN), Miles is nearly unbeatable.

That is, until he sets eyes on the ravishing Marylin Rexroth (CATHERINE ZETA-JONES). She recently hired private eye Gus Petch (CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER) to catch her real estate developer husband Rex (EDWARD HERRMANN) in the middle of an affair. With the aid of her lawyer, Freddy Bender (RICHARD JENKINS), and support from her divorced best friend, Sarah Sorkin (JULIA DUFFY), she hopes to get half of Rex's total worth.

Miles won't have any of that, and goes to some underhanded measures to introduce a surprise client, Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espy (JONATHAN HADARY), into the divorce proceedings. When that's done, Miles, who's growing nervous about turning into an elderly workaholic like his boss, decides to pursue her.

Yet, she's already found a new suitor in the form of oilman Howard D. Doyle (BILLY BOB THORNTON). With Miles progressively losing control and falling head over heels for Marylin, it's only a matter of time before more weddings, divorces and even a hitman, Wheezy Joe (IRWIN KEYES), further complicate matters.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they're into romantic comedies, are fans of someone in the cast or the filmmaking Coen brothers, they just might.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
For sexual content, language and brief violence.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • GEORGE CLOONEY plays a veteran and very successful divorce attorney who finds himself inexplicably drawn to Marylin (despite knowing her modus operandi) and questioning whether he wants to do that sort of business for the rest of his life. He drinks some.
  • CATHERINE ZETA-JONES plays a stunning gold digger who will stop at nothing to marry a rich man and then divorce him for his money. She uses some profanity and drinks some.
  • GEOFFREY RUSH plays a soap opera producer who discovers his wife cheating on him, uses some profanity and shoots at both her and her lover.
  • CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER plays a private eye who specializes in capturing people having affairs. He uses some profanity.
  • EDWARD HERRMANN plays Marylin's real estate developer husband who's having an affair and has a sexual thing with trains.
  • PAUL ADELSTEIN plays Miles' over-emotional divorce lawyer associate.
  • RICHARD JENKINS plays Marylin's divorce lawyer who doesn't like Miles or his way of doing business.
  • BILLY BOB THORNTON plays a wealthy oilman who Marylin gets to fall for her.
  • JULIA DUFFY plays Marylin's wealthy divorced friend and confidant.
  • JONATHAN HADARY plays a flamboyant concierge who testifies in a court case.
  • IRWIN KEYES plays an asthmatic hitman hired to rub out someone.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    The following is a brief summary of the content found in this somewhat dark romantic comedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Sexually related dialogue is present, some fooling around (on and off-screen) occurs, and some women are seen in their undergarments.

    Several people fire handguns at others, with one accidentally shooting and killing himself (played for black comedy). Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while several couples go through divorce proceedings (all played for comedy). A few characters smoke and others drink, with two briefly appearing somewhat intoxicated.

    Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • We see Rex driving wildly down the road with his lover holding a bottle of liquor above her head. Both appear to be drunk and race into a motel to have sex.
  • Gus and some of his friends drink beer.
  • Miles and Marylin have wine with dinner.
  • Miles and Wrigley have beer.
  • People have champagne at a wedding reception.
  • Miles and Marylin have champagne with dinner.
  • Miles orders scotch for Wrigley and himself in a bar where others drink.
  • Marylin has what's presumably a drink on a plane (as did Miles earlier).
  • Marylin and her friend have drinks by the pool.
  • We see many empty beer bottles on a table near Miles.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • A wife hits her husband over the head several times with a statuette and then pokes him in the clothed rear with it (we see a slight blood stain on his pants and what look like bloody holes).
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • All of those having affairs have bad attitudes.
  • Marylin is a gold digger who marries rich men in hopes of becoming wealthy by divorcing them.
  • Gus and some of his friends watch videos he's made of people caught in the act of adultery.
  • Miles hires Gus to break into Marylin's place and photograph her address book.
  • A concierge claims that Marylin requested he find her a rich dupe with "a wandering pee-pee" for a husband.
  • We hear Miles dictating notes to himself about a case, including wondering if special-ed classes are justified for someone.
  • Some viewers might not like a joke about a magazine being titled, "Living Without Intestines."
  • Others lie about who/what they are to help another person in their ruse.
  • Miles and Wrigley hire a hitman to take care of a problem (meaning hired murder, all played for black comedy).
  • Some viewers might not like a hitman's asthma being used as a source of comedy.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • Two large rottweilers chase after Rex and then jump at his window when he gets into his car (played mostly for comedy, but those afraid of dogs might not like the scene). Likewise, Miles hires Gus to break into Marylin's place and photograph her address book. As he leaves, two large rottweilers then briefly chase after him. In addition, Marylin's large poodle clamps down on Miles' hand (we only see his hand in its mouth and it's played for laughs).
  • A man dies of a heart attack (played for laughs as connected to a sexual scene, but those sensitive to such matters might not find it funny).
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Handguns: Used to threaten and shoot at others, as well as accidentally commit suicide.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "What the f*ck color would it be?" "Piece of sh*t," "This is some good sh*t," "Penny ante sh*t," "Bullsh*t," "Useless as t*ts on a boar hog," "Cretinous wanker," "You whore," "You bitch," "Schmo," "I'm gonna nail your ass," "Don't pussyfoot around," "That's a fart in a stiff wind," "What's so G*ddamn funny?" "What, are you nuts?" "Kiss my ass," "What the hell /is wrong with you?" "You idiot," "Arty-farty," "Shut up," "You son of a bitch," "Who the hell are you?" "Harlot," "You can't nail his ass," "Dope" and "I love you like a son of a bitch."
  • A miscellaneous person has a tattoo.
  • A person tears up a document and eats pieces of it.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • Some playfully suspenseful music occurs in the film.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • At least 1 "f" word, 6 "s" words, 2 slang terms for sex ("laid" and "porking"), 1 slang term for male genitals ("pee-pee"), another for breasts ("t*ts"), 25 asses, 5 hells, 2 S.O.B.s, 1 damn, 1 wanker, 7 uses of "G-damn," 4 of "My God" and 1 use each of "Good God," "Oh God" and "Oh Good God."
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • Donovan returns home to find a handyman's truck in his driveway, sounds of running and hiding in his house, and the sight of his unmade bed (it turns out his wife -- who shows cleavage -- is having an affair with the handyman). Donovan calmly confronts the two, with the handyman beginning to say, "You caught me porking..." but then says that they didn't actually have sex since he's unable to achieve erections.
  • As Miles talks with a client about her sexual indiscretion with a pool man, he spins it around and asks what if he (the client's husband) was the one sleeping with the pool man.
  • In a court case, a middle-aged woman states that she was a sexual slave to her husband for 30 some years. A question about sexual proclivities is asked and she responds that her husband was gentle at first, but then got into toys, videotaping and created a sexual gizmo called "The Intruder" from the vacuum cleaner.
  • Rex's lover playfully sticks her bare leg out from behind a curtain in a motel room. We then see her in a small bra and panties and some train sounds are made (which are part of Rex's adulterous fantasy). He then takes her down onto the bed where they roll around. Gus, however, storms in with his video camera and captures them in the act, and they panic and try to cover themselves.
  • Marylin shows varying amounts of cleavage in various outfits in various scenes.
  • Rex says that he and Marylin couldn't keep their hands off each other when they first met. He also says they had an understanding that each could see others.
  • A friend of Marylin adjusts her own breasts through the robe she's wearing (we don't see any skin).
  • Gus and some of his friends watch videos he's made of people caught in the act of adultery. We don't see anything explicit, but someone comments on a woman on the tape about to take off her panties.
  • During a conversation with Marylin, Miles drops a double entendre when he says that he's just like her in that he's "Just looking for an ass to mount."
  • Talking about some dogs that were chasing him, Gus (who's black) says that they "had a hard-on for anus Africanus."
  • Miles wants Wrigley to look through Marylin's address book and find her "Tenzing Norgay," prompting Wrigley to wonder if that's who she slept with.
  • Marylin's lawyer asks her if she slept with a recently announced witness and she replies, "Don't be a fool."
  • A concierge claims that Marylin requested he find her a rich dupe with "a wandering pee-pee" for a husband.
  • Marylin's divorced and now rich friend states, "Getting laid is financial Russian roulette."
  • Miles and Marylin briefly but passionately kiss.
  • We see Miles get on top of Marylin on a bed (both are clothed) where they kiss. She then briefly makes them stop, but they begin again and the camera pans away (so we don't know what happens, although sex is implied).
  • We see several young women in their camisoles or bras and panties jumping up and down on a bed with Rex (with another train motif in the background as part of his fantasy). Various amounts of skin are briefly seen, but nothing else sexual happens.
  • Miles and Marylin do some passionate, clothed kissing.
  • We briefly see footage from a TV show that shows a man's blurred out butt as he lies in the grass (presumably having sex with someone we don't see) as well a scantily clad woman.
  • SMOKING
  • A few miscellaneous people smoke.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • Donovan discovers his wife having an affair, while Marylin does the same regarding her husband. Both lead to divorce proceedings (all played for comedy, some of it dark, rather than emotional realism).
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Affairs.
  • Divorces and divorce attorneys.
  • Marylin comments that money equals independence.
  • Asthma.
  • VIOLENCE
  • Donovan pulls a handgun on the handyman having an affair with his wife. In turn, she hits him over the head several times with a statuette and then pokes him in the clothed rear with it (we see a slight blood stain on his pants and what look like bloody holes). He then fires out the window (in a daze from being hit on the head) at the handyman driving away (causing him to bump the wife's car) and then at the wife as she drives away.
  • Rex races up and grabs a man on the witness stand by the throat and must be pulled away (played for laughs).
  • Marylin's large poodle clamps down on Miles' hand (we only see his hand in its mouth and it's played for laughs).
  • Looking for a hitman, Miles and Wrigley end up spraying some sort of self-defense spray into each other's eyes.
  • A hitman holds a gun on Miles who sprays some sort of self-defense spray into his eyes, causing him to shoot around a room in a random fashion.
  • An asthmatic man, blinded by some sort of self-defense spray, mistaken fires his inhaler (thinking it's his gun) and puts the barrel of his handgun in his mouth (thinking it's his inhaler). He then pulls the trigger and inadvertently kills himself (we don't see the impact or any blood, but do see a bullet hole in the window behind him as he falls away and it's all played for black comedy).



  • Reviewed October 7, 2003 / Posted October 10, 2003

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