The trailer and TV spots for Intolerable Cruelty have made the film look like a genial, pedestrian (if slightly dark) romantic comedy. It’s been a little disconcerting, since I’m such a huge Coen brothers fan — but studio trailers these days are designed to look as streamlined and clichéd as possible. Over the past couple of months I continued to suspect that a much better film was waiting for me on opening night.

I won’t know for sure until Friday night, but it appears that my suspicions are confirmed by an Ain’t It Cool News reviewer:

After seeing INTOLERABLE CRUELTY, I am yet again baffled by the Coen’s talent. They somehow were able to hide an honest to God off the wall Coen Bros movie in a mainstream film, the way a parent will hide medicine in a sugary treat. In this case, the difficult child is the mainstream movie-goer who will be tricked into seeing (and appreciating) a Coen Bros movie and may never even know they were duped. Likewise, INTOLERABLE CRUELTY acts like a great dose of potent anti-biotic, pumping life and energy into the current film scene.