The wife and I saw "The Judge" on Saturday for our date night. It was wonderful. As a lawyer, I tend to view all legal-themed movies with a critical eye; this movie seemed to get a lot right. Not to say there were not some errors in procedure and questioning that would not have flown in an actual courtroom, but overall it was semi realistic.
The movie is about Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.), a typical clichéd rich criminal defense attorney living in Chicago who returns home for the first time in many years for the funeral of his mother. He apparently has not been home in many years due to a contentious and intolerable relationship with his father, Judge Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall). The two fight throughout the time leading up to the funeral. After the funeral, they have a big blowup and Hank (next day. While on the plane, he receives a call from his brother that the Judge is being charged with killing a man who had a history with the Judge, in an auto accident. He immediately goes back to the town to represent his father. Of course, with the contentious dynamic of their relationship, the Judge does not want Hank to represent him and instead, hires a local bumbling attorney C.P. Kennedy (Dax Shepherd). We soon meet the smarmy prosecutor Dwight Dickham (Billy Bob Thornton), and it becomes quite clear that C.P is not up to the task. The Judge reluctantly allows Hank to represent him. During the course of the trial, we learn more about the fractured relationship between Hank and the Judge. Frank discovers that his father is ill, which quite possibly played a part in the accident. To keep from giving out any major spoilers, I will leave the plot synopsis at that. Suffice it to say, the ending was no big shock.
This movie was both funny and sad. There were several “laugh out loud” moments and several tearjerker scenes as well. Mrs. Moderatarian Man alternated between laughing and crying. I highly recommend everyone go see "The Judge". Both Duvall and Downey give outstanding performances.
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