Blank Check with Griffin & David · Blank Check Productions

Intolerable Cruelty with Katey Rich

September 14, 2025·2 hr 16 min·5 clips

Catherine Zeta-Jones wins Best Supporting Actress for Chicago. Her next three films are Coen Brothers, Soderbergh, and Spielberg. And her career is over.

Blank Check hosts Griffin Newman and David Sims are joined by guest Katey Rich, anointed the 'auntie of blankies' as the show's first official guest, to discuss the Coen Brothers' Intolerable Cruelty. The episode opens with a detailed examination of Catherine Zeta-Jones' career trajectory, tracing how her Oscar win for Chicago was followed by three films with the Coen Brothers, Spielberg, and Soderbergh that all underperformed, effectively ending her run as a leading film star. They compare her post-Oscar decline to Helen Hunt's similar trajectory. The hosts reveal the film's convoluted development history: originally written by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone, it attracted Michael Keaton Jones, then Ron Howard brought in the Coens to polish the script post-Hudsucker Proxy. Joe Dante was attached with Jeremy Irons and Heather Locklear. Jonathan Demme nearly made it with Will Smith, who was delayed by Ali. The Coens finally directed it themselves after their passion project To the White Sea fell apart, with Clooney pushing them toward the material. The discussion examines why the film failed commercially despite costing a reported 60 million dollars, their most expensive production. They argue the screwball pastiche tone confused audiences expecting either a straightforward rom-com or typical Coen weirdness, with its modern-day setting denying viewers the period-piece signposts that would have signaled the archness. They compare it to Down With Love, which bombed similarly but found cult status faster. A substantial portion examines Clooney's career in distinct eras: the post-Batman rehabilitation through Out of Sight, the Ocean's breakthrough, the Michael Clayton and Up in the Air prestige period, and his post-Casamigos decline into what the hosts characterize as middlebrow streaming projects. Rich shares that Clooney told her in a 2017 interview that money would never again be his motivation, which the hosts note was followed by a string of forgettable films. Richard Jenkins receives extensive praise for his performance and broader career, with Step Brothers cited as a comedic peak. The episode connects Intolerable Cruelty to Preston Sturges, particularly The Lady Eve, arguing the film's thriller-like structure where the audience only understands the full plot at the end is what made it hard to appreciate on first viewing. Carter Burwell's Mancini-influenced score is highlighted as an unsung element. They note the film eventually made 120 million worldwide including strong overseas returns, though it was perceived as a miss.

As heard by us

A sharp Coens conversation that finds more bite in performance, packaging, and the film's odd romantic turn.

The discussion keeps returning to Clooney's hard to pin down star shape and the Coens' habit of making him look foolish without losing the style.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want Clooney chatter that turns a light rom-com into a sharply observed movie-star study.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Blank Check with Griffin & David