The Judge Review
RYAN: This is the new RDJ, Robert Duvall movie and I liked it because it’s such a great vehicle for these two terrific actors to show their range and play off one another. They have amazing chemistry and the greatest strength is the personalities of the characters they portray.
AARON: Robert Downey Jr did a fantastic job as the upstart lawyer who is not only battling against his father’s conviction but battling for his father’s affection. It creates a dramatic atmosphere which is reflected stylistically in the cinematography and an excellent score.
RYAN: The score is indeed good. And movie is quite gorgeous to look at. Roberts suits, his office space, the courtrooms – and yes the cinematography. Whenever anyone was outside, the skies were so blue and the green of the trees were so lush. Just beautiful.
AARON: I found this emotional. It’s a tearjerker. There are strong emotional currents throughout the drama. The characters were all very well fleshed out with small moments of comedy.
RYAN: The supporting cast is amazing: a very blond Vera Farmiga, of course. But then Dax Shepard, Leighton Meester, Balthazar Getty – hello, where have you been? The strong supporting cast really elevated the whole film. And i enjoyed some of the themes. It’s not just about the courtroom drama, which I love. But all the family stuff – between parent and child, between brothers, relationships with ex loves, all of it was good.
AARON: The writing was very believable. A lot of the dialogue was well thought out.
RYAN: It is two hours and twenty minutes and I actually had to run to the mens toward the end which I ended up regretting because I missed the verdict! I never step out during a movie and this was such a bummer for me!
AARON: Yeah you picked the wrong moment to run out. It did feel a little slow at some moments but the drama was still strong.
RYAN: For me it’s all about RDJ. I love everything he does but it’s cool, after looking at him as Iron Man for so many years, so see him branch out in this movie. Plus he played a lawyer on TV’s Ally McBeal (my fave show), so it’s fun seeing him back in a courtroom.
AARON: He is spectacular. He’s always so natural and believable.
RYAN: He’s always so confident and sexy.
