Intolerable Cruelty
A gold-digging divorcee plots to marry and then legally destroy a wealthy, womanizing lawyer, setting off a bitter, high-stakes game of marital revenge.
“Engage the enemy.”
Synopsis
A woman driven by revenge and financial gain marries a philandering Beverly Hills attorney with the goal of profiting from the subsequent divorce.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 229+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Ethan CoenShot by Roger DeakinsScored by Carter BurwellDesigned by Leslie McdonaldSound by Sean GarnhartCostumes by Mary ZophresStunts by Jery HewittVFX by Heather Jennings
Box Office
2003 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 2.0× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$119.9M
US & Canada: $35.3M — 29% of worldwide · International: $84.6M (71%)
Opening weekend: $12.5M — 35% of its US run. Front-loaded — most of its money arrived opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $16.2M — 46% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 2,564 theaters
Also known as
- Ein (un)möglicher Härtefallde
- Intolerable Cruelty - Ein (un)möglicher Härtefallde
- (Alternative Title)Divorce Lawyer
- Intolérable Cruautéfr
- Prima ti sposo, poi ti rovinoit
Release dates around the world4 countries · showhide
- ItalySep 2, 2003
- United StatesSep 30, 2003
- CanadaOct 10, 2003
- SwitzerlandOct 16, 2003
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Cast & Crew
229 unique people credited
Top billed cast
George Clooney
as Miles
Catherine Zeta Jones
as Marylin
Billy Bob Thornton
as Howard D. Doyle
Geoffrey Rush
as Donovan Donaly
Cedric The Entertainer
as Gus Petch
Edward Herrmann
as Rex Rexroth
Paul Adelstein
as Wrigley
Richard Jenkins
as Freddy Bender
Julia Duffy
as Sarah Sorkin
Jonathan Hadary
as Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espy
Tom Aldredge
as Herb Myerson
Stacey Travis
as Bonnie Donaly
Supporting cast
38Jack Kyle
as Ollie Olerud
Irwin Keyes
as Wheezy Joe
Judith Drake
as Mrs. Gutman
George Ives
as Mrs. Gutman's Lawyer
Booth Colman
as Gutman Trial Judge
Kristin Dattilo
as Rex's Young Woman
Wendle Josepher
as Miles' Receptionist
Mary Pat Gleason
as Nero's Waitress
Mia Cottet
as Ramona Barcelona
Kiersten Warren
as Claire O'Mara
Rosey Brown
as Gus's Pal
Ken Sagoes
as Gus's Pal
Dale E Turner
as Gus's Pal
Douglas Fisher
as Maitre d
Nicholas Shaffer
as Waiter
Isabell O Connor
as Judge Marva Munson
Mary Gillis
as Court Reporter
Colin Linden
as Father Scott
Julie Osburn
as Stewardess
Gary Marshal
as Las Vegas Waiter
Blake Clark
as Convention Secretary
Allan Trautman
as Convention Lawyer
Kate Luyben
as Santa Fe Tart
Kitana Baker
as Santa Fe Tart
Camille Anderson
as Santa Fe Tart
Tamie Sheffield
as Santa Fe Tart
Bridget Marquardt
as Santa Fe Tart
Emma Harrison
as Santa Fe Tart
John Bliss
as Mr. MacKinnon
Patrick Thomas O Brien
as Bailiff
Sean Fenton
as Bailiff
Royce D Applegate
as Mr. Gutman
Justine Baker
as Wedding Guest
Bruce Campbell
as Soap Opera Actor on TV
Barbara Kerr Condon
as Herb Myerson's Private Nurse
Jason De Hoyos
as Gardener
Larry Vigus
as Lawyer
Susan Yeagley
as Tart #1
Directors
1Writers
5Producers
13Brian Grazer
Producer, Producers
Ethan Coen
Producer, Producers
Grant Heslov
co-producer, Producer
Heather Jennings
visual effects producer: Rhythm & Hues
Hilda Saffari
digital intermediate producer (uncredited)
James Jacks
executive producer
Jim Whitaker
co-producer (as James Whitaker)
Joel Coen
producer (uncredited)
John Cameron
co-producer
Kathy Kelehan
titles producer: Big Film Design
Lennykornberg
Executive Producer
Robert Graf
associate producer
Sean Daniel
Producers, executive producer
Other crew
167Craig Seitz
2d supervisor: Rhythm & Hues
Kristan Wagner
additional location manager
Patti Brand
additional makeup artist
Peggy Nichols
additional makeup artist
Kenton Jakub
adr editor
Catherine Farrell
apprentice editor
Karyn Anonia
apprentice editor (as Karyn L. Anonia)
Mark Filip
apprentice sound editor
Tony Fanning
Art Director
Greg Burkart
assistant accountant (uncredited)
Katie Mcquerrey
assistant editor (as Katie McQuerrey)
Ian Silverstein
assistant editor: LA
Parents Guide
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