In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, lawyer Atticus Finch, played by Oscar winner Gregory Peck, must defend his client, even though he realizes he doesn’t have much of a chance of keeping him out of jail. 52 years later, Robert Downey, Jr.’s fast-talking lawyer whose heart is not quite so gold, takes on the task of defending his own father, a longtime small-town judge facing a murder charge. That father, aka “The Judge”, is played by Robert Duvall, whose breakout role as an actor was as Boo Radley in “Mockingbird”.
There is one reference to Finch in “The Judge”, but Downey, Jr’s Henry (Hank) Palmer doesn’t deliver any Peck-like emotional, showcase speeches. Instead, he and Duvall engage in a series of dramatic father-son confrontations, the final one taking place during the climactic courtroom scene.
For “The Judge” to work, the audience must invest in these characters quickly and fully, otherwise the next two-plus hours will have little or no impact. Director David Dobkin (taking on his most serious material yet considering his past credits include “Wedding Crashers”, “Fred Claus” and “The Change-Up”) does a nice job of doing exactly that. Some of Downey, Jr. and Duvall’s strongest scenes are within the film’s first half hour.
But then we’re asked to hang in there, for quite a long time, before the inevitable and well-staged trial. And this becomes a real challenge. Hank reunites with high school girlfriend Samantha (“Up in the Air”‘s Vera Farmiga), who has some baggage of her own. This subplot takes-up too much unnecessary time and pushes the narrative, as a whole, way off-balance.
At the same time, Duvall’s Joseph Palmer, an Indiana judge for 42 years, must deal with the sudden death of his wife, interacting with all three sons, particularly Hank who basically abandoned his family all his adult life. And, most importantly, the judge also has to try to remember if he actually did kill someone with his car. I have no objections to Duvall’s excellent, authentic performance. But it is a supporting one, and very one-note.
Downey, Jr. dominates the screen time. He’s in practically every scene, playing a character who continually goes up and down on the likeability meter. Hank is a loving father to his own daughter, but when is comes to handling “Judge” as a client and father, their personal baggage makes the task very difficult.
“The Judge” is old fashioned in its slow pacing and story structure. Since the script is so dependent on most situations going one way or the other, it’s difficult to actually experience suspense or surprise. And the tone is all over the place. Old family videos shot by Hank’s mentally challenged younger brother aren’t overly sentimental, but the antics of an inexperienced town lawyer are a bit too comical. However, the score by Thomas Newman (“Saving Mr. Banks”) continues his streak of offbeat gems.
I’ll admit, I had to deliberate for awhile to come-up with reasons why “The Judge” doesn’t deserve a unanimous positive verdict. Is it because Billy Bob Thornton’s rival lawyer is predictably cheesy and transparent? Is it because of a scene involving Hank assisting his father in the bathroom while his daughter is demanding to come in? In the end, I simply wasn’t satisfied enough with the film as a whole. “The Judge” isn’t emotionally manipulative, but, in some ways, depressing – and not powerful enough to make make it all worth while.
At one point, Joseph tells Hank, “I wish I liked you more.” That pretty much sums-up my thoughts on this movie.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “The Judge” gets a C.