The Judge

We've seen several films which include estranged families: "August: Osage County", "Blue Jasmine" and the most recent "This is Where I Leave You". These we're incredibly well acted movies. So when "The Judge" came along, considering the consummate cast involved, I just felt this was going to be, yet another gem to add to that delicious list. and what I received was definitely what I was hoping for.

Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) is a big city lawyer who, after hearing of his mother's passing, reluctantly returns to his childhood home in small town, Carlinsville, In., where his estranged father, Joseph (Robert Duvall) still resides. After the funeral, Hank and his older brother, Glen (Vincent D'Onofrio) realize that their dad's car has been freshly damaged, and soon confront him, only with Joseph not fully realizing the details when he went to the nearby mini-mart. Subsequently Joseph becomes a suspect after the police find a body on the highway, and of which the blood matches the blood on Joseph's car. Hank sets out to discover the truth and along the way reconnects with, not only his father, but his brothers, Dale (Jeremy Strong) also included as well. As Hank stays and becomes his father's counsel, he realizes that maybe, just maybe, that he should've thought more about leaving his family years before, but not without going through some intense situations with his father.

Others to round out the cast are Vera Farmiga as Samantha Powell, an old girlfriend, Billy Bob Thornton as Dwight Dickham, the prosecuting attorney, Dax Shepard as C.P. Kennedy, an attorney, Leighton Meester as Carla Powell, Ken Howard as Judge Warren, Emma Tremblay as Lauren Palmer, Hank's daughter, Balthazar Getty as Deputy Hanson, David Krumholtz as Mike Kattan, Grace Zabriskie as Mrs. Blackwell, Denis O'Hare as Doc Morris, Sarah Lancaster as Lisa Palmer, Hank's estranged wife, Lonnie Farmer as Gus the Baliff and Matt Riedy as Sheriff White.

Interestingly, this was directed by a comedy director, and while this is a comedy, it's more of a dramedy (emphasis on the drama part). While David Dobkin ("52nd St. Serenade" '92, "Clay Pigeons" '98, "Shanghai Knights" '03, "Wedding Crashers" '05, "Fred Claus" '07, "The Change-Up" '11) at least directed fairly good comedies, it surprises me that he would be able to see this film, fraught with poignancy, pathos and concern, in any other way than zany or nutty, however this guy actually pulled it off. It was equally well written by Nick Schenk and Bill Dubuque based on a story by Dobkin and Schenk. While there were few slightly choppy areas, that was made up much more in scenes between Downey Jr. and Duvall. Obviously these actors are effortless in their own unique style, but they absolutely shined in the way they were at such odds with each other. They basically were looking at each other's 'mirror' and didn't like what they saw, too much alike, if you will, and it was conveyed extremely well which was seen through these writers, but through these incredible actors as well. If it takes good old fashioned dysfunction to get fine acting and writing, bring on the dysfunction. The photography by Janusz Kaminski ("War Horse", "Lincoln") was crisp and consise, just as these characters emulated.

I don't know about you, but I would much rather see a film that is comedic with talent than a silly comedy with mediocre talent any day of the week, because at the end of the day, my bet would be that I would feel so-o far better when I left the multiplex, and isn't that an important ingredient?

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                              Rated: R                                 141mins.