Miles Massey (George Clooney) is a tough L.A. divorce attorney, and he destroys Marylin Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones) in her divorce with Rex Rexroth, a wealthy real estate developer and habitual philanderer. Marylin schemes to get even. First she quickly marries oil tycoon Howard Doyle. Then she makes Miles fall for her. Only it's all part of her scheme.
The Coen brothers try to give L.A. divorce lawyers the Coen treatment. The crazy Coen style is in evidence here. The fast-talking dialog is dense, but doesn't flow. The mannerisms are exaggerated without the humorous effects. The biggest problem is that divorce lawyers aren't funny, and even the Coen brothers can't make them so. Not just the lawyers, everybody is disgusting, scheming, sleazy, money grubbing lowlifes. They're just more beautiful while doing it. I don't care about anybody or anything in this movie. I don't care about Miles, and I don't care if Miles get taken, and I don't care if Miles is truly in love.
The Coen brothers try to give L.A. divorce lawyers the Coen treatment. The crazy Coen style is in evidence here. The fast-talking dialog is dense, but doesn't flow. The mannerisms are exaggerated without the humorous effects. The biggest problem is that divorce lawyers aren't funny, and even the Coen brothers can't make them so. Not just the lawyers, everybody is disgusting, scheming, sleazy, money grubbing lowlifes. They're just more beautiful while doing it. I don't care about anybody or anything in this movie. I don't care about Miles, and I don't care if Miles get taken, and I don't care if Miles is truly in love.