A revenge-seeking gold digger marries a womanizing Beverly Hills lawyer with the intention of making a killing in the divorce.
Acting
Clooney's physical comedy—watch him get hit by a car, twice, beautifully.
Writing
Coen dialogue so sharp you'll need stitches. 'I'm gonna nail your ass.'
Production
Roger Deakins shoots LA like a fever dream of money and moral rot.
Director
Joel Coen
George Clooney
Miles
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Marilyn
Geoffrey Rush
Donovan Donaly
Cedric the Entertainer
Gus Petch
Edward Herrmann
Rex Rexroth
Paul Adelstein
Wrigley
Richard Jenkins
Freddy Bender
Billy Bob Thornton
Howard D. Doyle
Julia Duffy
Sarah Sorkin
Jonathan Hadary
Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espy
Tom Aldredge
Herb Myerson
Stacey Travis
Bonnie Donaly
Jack Kyle
Ollie Olerud
Irwin Keyes
Wheezy Joe
Judith Drake
Mrs. Gutman
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Coens rewrote this extensively; it started as a script by others, making it their most 'studio' project. You can feel them both loving and mocking the rom-com form.
Catherine Zeta-Jones reportedly took the role specifically to subvert her own 'beauty = goodness' image—her Marilyn is the Coens' most underrated villain, and she knew it.
US
