The Judge

Hank Palmer, a hot-shot Chicago attorney, is summoned home to small town Indiana for his mothers’ funeral. His estranged father, a local Judge in the town, offers up an icy welcome and an invitation to depart quickly. As Hank prepares to leave his childhood home once and for all, things get even more complicated when he finds himself back in the local courtroom defending his father on a Murder charge.

You know up front when you go to a movie starring Robert Downey Jr., you are in it to see Robert Downey Jr. Am I wrong? You go to see him – be him. This is what made Iron Man so much fun, the alter ego is in fact Robert Downey Jr – not what’s his name? (Tony Stark – I looked it up) And Sherlock Holmes? What can be more fun than an antiquated Iron Man with a British accent? We love him for him; we all assume that he is the fast talking, self-effacing, cocky, brilliant, arrogant, self-assured super hero in real life. He just might be. So when he is found in the role of what one might consider more along the lines of, the common man, combined with a highly sophisticated cast, one can’t help but to sit back, smile and wait for the hero to arrive.

This movie is about a family – it is not a John Grisham novel. It is focused on the relationship between a father and son. The trial is skillfully weaved into the story and although in the forefront of the tale doesn’t take over the entire narrative. Robert Duvall does a fantastic job and Vera Farmiga steals every scene she is in. Clocking in at two hours and twenty-one minutes may be a deterrent to some, but the time flies by as the plot and the characters are all so engaging. A tinge sappy at times – but the wit makes up for it.

*** Must See

Rated R (for language and adult situations)

Official Site: http://thejudgemovie.com/