It is interesting that “Intolerable Cruelty,” the new Universal film staring George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones is not being marketed as being directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The Coen Brothers, who have directed such popular films as “Raising Arizona,” “Fargo,” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” (also staring Clooney), are known for their intelligent, quirky comedies that, for the most part, draw out wonderful performances from the film’s stars. Instead, the film seems to be marketed as a romantic-comedy, hoping to bank on the film’s star recognition and sexuality.

In the film, Clooney plays Miles Massey, an extremely successful divorce lawyer who only takes high profit cases and high profile clients. He is extremely successful, but money doesn’t necessarily mean happiness. When Rex Rexroth (Edward Herrmann) gets caught (on video tape, no less) cheating on his wife Marylin (Zeta-Jones), Massey takes on the case as a challenge. The first time Massey meets Marylin, he obviously falls in love with her at first sight. However, after it comes out that Marylin is really a money-hungry schemer who believes that divorce is her ticket to independence and happiness from the settlement, Massey falls for her even more, finding even more beauty in her greediness. As Massey and Marylin fall for each other, a greedy, womanizing lawyer and a greedy, gold-digging divorcee become quite a combustible mixture.

As is common in most the Coen’s films, the films characteristics are grossly overplayed to maximize silliness. For instance, snobby (white) women sit around a Beverly Hills pool discussing what all California women talk about: Botox injections, available rich men, and money. A shirtless, sweaty foreign Gardener, socially inept yet filthy rich millionaires, and materialistic self-absorbed lawyers litter the film. In particular, Massey dotes on his teeth making sure his crooked smile is as white as possible, because he flashes it often.

Clooney plays Massey sometimes as the smooth, charming character he is really known for, and sometimes as a love-sick, drooling “man.” Once he falls for Marylin, every time he looks at her he becomes a doe-eyed zombie. Clooney pulled off a similar style of humor in “O Brother,” but here it comes across as being a bit. Catherine Zeta-Jones, who uses her beauty to hypnotize Massey (and any other man) into doing whatever she wants, plays Marylin as cool and calculating. She is smooth and pretty, gliding across the screen and radiating what she is known for: sexiness.

Many of the ancillary characters are fun as well, including Billy Bob Thornton as rich Oil Tycoon Howard Doyle, and Cedric the Entertainer as the private investigator who catches cheating partners on video in hilariously compromising positions.

The story moves along at quite a clip, and the story by Robert Ramsey and Mathew Stone takes many twists and turns. Although you can see many of the twists coming, it is still a fun ride with intelligent dialogue and humorous characters. However, the sheer mindlessness of the ditzy blondes, the childish millionaires, and the silly courtroom proceedings make the whole thing unbelievable.

The film is certainly a commentary on how men turn into blithering idiots when love is upon them, and how women hold the cards to manipulate their men. When money is in play, and you’re dealing with such materialistic characters as lawyers, television producers, and gold-diggers, it’s easy to over simplify their agendas because it all boils down to the cash. Can love and cash mix when you’re stinking rich and someone is after your money? It’s an interesting concept, particularly to those who don’t have money, but could be richer in the heart because they have love.