The Judge

Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall headline this tale about redemption, forgiveness, family stuff, and lawyering. There was a ton of potential here as some moments with Duvall and RDJ were bliss, but this missed the mark on a lot and was too long at 2 hours 27 minutes. RDJ is a super lawyer and essentially Tony Stark (standard) only without the suits. Duvall plays his father, a proud, small town judge of 42 years. RDJ returns home for his mom's funeral, which is a big deal because he never goes home. He's proud to avoid his small Indiana hometown because he's a big-time lawyer in Chicago (I think). They smother you with small-town values and family stuff. RDJ is sometimes unbearable as his character is contradictory way too often. Duvall is excellent as a angry, proud old man refusing to give an inch on anything. There's some twists and turns as things from the past and present are revealed to you, but it all takes too long. They throw in a stupid love story that wastes time and you really never feel like you get anywhere in this one. It's worth watching for two excellent performances and some of the moments they spend on screen together, but I wasn't a fan of much else. Bottom Line: 6.3 out of 10. It's on HBO, so it's worth checking out if you have it.