Theatrical Review: The Judge

Date: October 11, 2014
Location: Cinemark Theater in Stroud Mall
Time: 12:40pm
Party: 2 (my mom and I)

Cast:
"Judge" Joseph Palmer- Robert Duvall
Hank Palmer- Robert Downey Jr
Gene Palmer- Vincent D'Onofrio
Dale Palmer- Jeremy Strong
Sam Powell- Vera Farmiga
Lauren Palmer- Emma Tremblay
C.P. Kennedy- Dax Shepard
Prosecutor Dwight Dickham- Billy Bob Thorton
Carla Powell- Leighton Meester

Running time: 142 minutes (+7 trailers)

Write-up:

Audience and TrailersOMG... this is probably one of the most packed theaters I'd ever been in. My mom and I had to take seats in the back row of the "orchestra" section because the preferred mezzanine seating was full except for a few patches of 3-4 seats.
The last time I'd been in that situation was at the "Twilight" midnight showing.I'd say it was 3/4 full. I don't know if it was because or RDJ or the fact it was raining outside or it was a slow weekend, but either way, it was great to see. Team Downey gets its money's worth either way.

It's been a while since I'd been at a movie with this many previews. I got to the point where I had to start writing them down and I completely forgot why we came.
Which I guess was kind of refreshing. I'd been so anxious about whether this movie would be showing locally or if I'd even like it. [Either way, I was covered]

1. a teaser trailer for "Into The Wood," which is one of three movies I want to go out to see this year...

2. a hilarious looking Kevin Hart movie called "The Wedding Ringer" where he offers his services as a Best Man to Josh Gad (I wonder if he got this role cuz of "Frozen" where he was so lovable as Olaf the snowman)

3. "Mordecai," which had me thinking immediately of Ralph Fiennes in "The Grand Budapest Hotel," but the title role is played Johnny Depp (totally unrecognizable, didn't know it was him until his name came up)

4. the latest Nicholas Sparks book-to-movie adaption "Best of Me" (which co-stars Michelle Monaghan from "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang")

5. a based-on-a-true-story film about a P.O.W. from WWII Japan called "Unbroken" directed by Angelina Jolie

6. "Inherent Vice," starring a very whacked out looking Joaquin Phoenix

7. "American Sniper" starring Bradley Cooper... the trailer was about as intense as any given scene in "The Hurt Locker"... it looks like another amazing movie, but not necessarily one I'd flock to a theater to see.

The Review
[Beyond any ratings, I avoided reading any detailed reviews beforehand so this review is simply my opinion of this film]

I'll get the punchlines out of the way right now...
This movie was GOOD.

Would I necessarily have gone to see it if not for the fact that it was Team Downey's first film production and it stars my favorite actor?
Most likely not... really cerebral thoughtful movies like these, I only go out to see them or look into them unless I can get invested in the people involved. As one review said, this particular cast is what makes this movie work.

I'd seen Robert play a lawyer twice before. He was a newbie to the profession in "True Believer," working under James Woods' character.
He won me over in a huge way with his run on "Ally McBeal"... not only as a great lawyer, but an all-around great character. I wrote two short stories about Larry Paul, if not for the name changes, that could almost be construed as fanfiction. When I was going through hard times, he was a lot of comfort to me.

For me, it was hard to really gauge how good a lawyer he was in particular role because this was more than just a courtroom drama. This was about family and about, however much you want to run away from it, where you come from is important to you as a person.

We first find Hank Palmer, a big-time Chicago lawyer, working a, seemingly, unwinnable case. He's forced to file an extension when he gets the news that his mom passed away. He hasn't been back to his hometown in Indiana since his high school graduation and if not for the events that unfold, he wouldn't have stayed longer than he had to.

After a very touching moment when he greets his mother at her casket, we're introduced to the rest of his family.
His younger brother Dale, played by Jeremy Strong, is probably this movie's biggest scene stealer. He's described as being "developmentally delayed" so it felt like being around a less exaggerated Rain Man who loves making home movies. He's a very sweet guy who means well and without meaning to, produces some of this movie's funniest lines. If this movie wins any Oscars, he certainly will.
Vincent D'Onofrio plays the big brother, Glen. He was a promising baseball player if not for a car accident. Throughout the movie, he's the guy who tries to hold the family together and tries to make Hank understand why that's so important.

Then we have The Judge himself... Robert Duvall playing a very stubborn old man. We first see him in his element. In this case, presiding over a child support case. Judge Judy would have been proud. Right away, it's pretty obvious why Hank got into his profession and why he's so good at it.

The funeral comes and goes. We get a preview of the relationship of the two men, however fractured and impersonal it is. Hank is literally on his ride home when the major plot kicks into gear: The Judge has been accused of vehicular homicide.

Initially, Dax Shepard is his lawyer, but he's a little green and inexperienced for this. We get this running gag (even when he's downgraded to 2nd chair) where he's puking on the grass before going into the courthouse. Hank makes somewhat of a scene during the preliminary hearing (one of many LOL moments this movie has... he was right, there was a great balance between comedy and drama in this film) and winds up becoming the first counsel.

We also have a side-bar with Hank, his high school girlfriend Sam, and her daughter Carla... another source of hilarity that builds steadily throughout the film.

...
I thought to myself during my "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" review how I wish RDJ had more make-out scenes in his movies. I get what I asked for on two occasions.
The chemistry between him and Vera Farmiga really pulled me into one of the scenes. To the point where I almost wish I was in her place. :P...
That side-bar aside, this is one of those movies where it pays to pay attention. I won't give anything away because other reviews have, but the pieces are come together roughly halfway through the movie. Even before they come out and announce it.

I got a little choked up during the scene where he was at his mom's casket since his mom recently passed away in real life.
And I loved his relationship with his daughter, Lauren. Things are pretty rough with him and his father. While he is absent in her life, his love is still very evident. When his new daughter arrives in real life, I hope to see that side of him transcends as well. It'll certainly be a brand new experience for him as a dad.

As a film overall, it was really well done. You get really invested in the characters and stick with them through all of the dramatics, laughter and tears. My attention was held the whole time. The only doubt that came about in my head was during a dramatic climax during a tornado warning, a huge confrontation between Hank and The Judge, explaining just why their relationship has been so estranged.
I was afraid things were just going to go south, but sure enough, things picked up. Having The Judge on the witness stand helped explain a lot of things and even though it was part of the case, it felt like the emotional understanding these two really needed to repair their relationship.

It was some pretty amazing acting on both of their parts.

I will stand by the fact this is probably one of Robert's best acting jobs ever. Is it enough to get him an Oscar? By the end of this film, I found it really hard to argue FOR the Oscar. Just because other actors like Jeremy Strong and Robert Duvall dominated certain scenes more than he did.
But come Oscar time, I will still fight for him. Even if I'm unable to explain why outside of being one of his biggest fans. And it'll give me a bigger/better excuse to get it on DVD. :P

As for the family aspect after the film, my mom and I loved it. Most likely we'll go into more detail about what it means to us outside of the story on a later date, but both of us were definitely captivated by the characters and the actors.

Grade: A

28. Legally Blonde (2001)

Code-name: Bruiser

Director: Robert Luketic (other credits include "The Ugly Truth" and "21")
Type: comedy, court room, chick flick

Cast:
Elle Woods- Reese Witherspoon
Warner- Matthew Davis
Vivian Kensington- Selma Blair
Emmett- Luke Wilson
Paulette- Jennifer Coolidge
Professor Cromwell- Holland Taylor
Professor Callahan- Victor Garber
Enid- Meredith Scott Lynn
Brooke Taylor Wyndam- Ali Larter
Chutney Wyndam- Linda Cardellini

Notable Golden Globe Nominations:
Best Picture (comedy/musical)
Best Actress (comedy-musical)- Reese Witherspoon
[...losing both awards to Nicole Kidman and "Moulin Rouge". As much as I love Reese in this movie, that's kinda hard to argue with :-P]

Write-up:

I don't remember if I saw this first or "Miss Congeniality," but in both cases, I was attracted to the pictures in question based on the premise.

I think I was intrigued by "Legally Blonde" because it was about a seemingly dumb blonde trying to make her way in law school to win back her boyfriend.
Back in those days, email was a roughly new thing in our house and among the FWD'd messages that circulated, there were ample dumb blonde jokes.

My personal favorite is the first one I heard:
A blonde, brunette & redhead are driving through the desert when their car breaks down. the brunette takes water, the redhead takes food and the blonde takes the car door. they ask each other why they brought the things they brought.
..punchline:
the blonde says "in case we get too hot, we can roll down the window"

Isn't it odd that when the "dumb blonde" stereotype is always skewed female?
Like only ditzy blonde girls can be perceived that way.

 So yeah... moving on...
I don't hate on blondes, by the way. Although I do believe they have more fun, so I can't help but wonder sometimes if I'd attract more attention from the opposite sex if I dyed my hair

I guess you could say that what makes this movie awesome to me is that Elle Woods winds up proving to everyone around her that she's actually a smart cookie and she finds herself a legit career path in something she's actually really good at.
A good example of "life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

That, combined with Reese Witherspoon at her coolest and near-insane quotability [you wanna see insane, check out next week's entry on the countdown], made this an easy choice for my list of my favorite movies. A great popcorn movie that I can't help watching when it comes on TV.

First Impressions

Elle Woods is a CULA fashion major and president of her sorority, Delta Nu. After the movie opens with Hoku's one-hit wonder "Perfect Day" (ones of my favorite Radio Disney jams back in the day), we meet her as she prepares for a date with her boyfriend. She believes it's going to be a proposal when, in fact, it's the opposite.

Sure, Elle's reaction to the news is completely exaggerated, but every bit of it is so fun to watch :-P only the movies
And the cherry on top:

Warner: Get in the car
Elle: No...
Warner: you're gonna ruin your shoes
(a beat)
Elle: Okay...

spoken as a true Cosmo girl ;)

and I always get a kick out the aftermath where she's eating bons-bons and screaming at "General Hospital" (specifically, Jacob Young, who I know best as JR on "All My Children").

Here Comes the Plot

Somehow, Elle gets the "brilliant" idea that if she becomes a serious law student, Warner will be so impressed that he'll take her back in a heartbeat.
People think she's crazy, but she defies the odds, getting a 179 on her LSATs and making a helluva video admissions essay.

My favorite part:

Elle: I feel comfortable using legal jargon in everyday life.
[someone whistles at her]
Elle: I object.
...what always sells it for me is when she smiles back at the camera, super proud of herself.

The deliberation in the conference room over her application would never happen in real life, but nonetheless, there're too many gems in that scene to go into.
Among them were "faux fur panties" and her being in a Ricky Martin video... back in 2000-2001 when that actually meant something :-P

Needless to say, she does get into Harvard Law School and it goes without saying that her quest isn't as easy as she thought it'd be. After all, Harvard is notoriously difficult to get into for a reason.
I remember a moment where we were watching this for the first time. Elle gets picked on in her first class by Mrs. Cromwell, not knowing the answer because she wasn't aware they had an assignment. I'm flipping out, crying foul and my dad says that, apparently, that does actually happen.

I guess you gotta be on top of things in the Ivy League, but still... if that wasn't embarrassing enough, she gets showed up by the stuck up Vivian Kensington (my first encounter with Selma Blair who I expressed my admiration for in my review of "HellBoy II"). Archetypically, she's the opposite of Elle. She has the plain Jane look with the brown hair & brown eyes and an icy attitude to match. And it's on her word that Elle gets kicked out of class because she didn't know the answer.

Just wow...

She meets her future love interest (Luke Wilson in finest form and probably the only truly memorable role I'd seen him in...aside from the "Anchorman" cameo) who gives her hints about dealing with her other professors. Like how Mr. Callahan loves opinionated people and how Leventhal gets his test questions from footnotes.

Sadly, Elle's day doesn't get any better because the icy bitch known as Vivian happens to be Warner's new fiancée. Seems like he rebounded in record time.
So where does she go? For an emergency manicure.

So many people now know Jennifer Coolidge as the boisterous Polish woman in "2 Broke Girls," so it's easy to forget she got her start in roles like this... talk about going against type. Paulette the manicurist is the first friend Elle makes on the east coast and right now, we see an amazing friendship blossom. Paulette's good for pep talks ("What are you waiting for? Steal the bastard back!") and Elle becomes an angel to Paulette in more ways than one.

Part one is relatively easy. She uses her new lawyer jargon to talk Paulette's ex into giving back her bulldog, Rufus :-P
Elle may carry her Chihuahua Bruiser in her purse like an accessory, but she treats him really well. The only downside to him, if you can call it a downside, is that his presence gave the writers something to work with for the ill-advised sequel "Red, White and Blonde"...

Part two is trying to bring her together with the UPS guy, which brings on one of this movie's most iconic scenes: "The Bend & Snap"
It doesn't go perfectly, but in the end, it does succeed.

From Dumb Blonde to Legally Blonde

What's a good chick flick without a transformative montage?

Elle overhears Vivian talk about a party and gets extended an invitation... but left under the false pretense that it's a costume party.
I wonder if the people behind "Mean Girls" or wrote the source material "Queen Bees and Wannabes" took any inspiration from this... cuz Elle dresses as a playboy bunny. And any fan of that movie knows Halloween (or in this case, costume parties) is the one time you can dress like a total slut and nobody can say anything about it.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work here, but getting more tough love from Warner makes her transform herself into something who can compete with the other stuffy rich bookworms.
She gets herself an iMac laptop, starts actually reading and studying her books, all set to one of my favorite montage songs of all time: "Watch me shine" by Joanna Pacitti. Really gets the adrenaline pumping.

And in no time at all, Elle starts to make a helluv an impression on her classmates and her professors: particularly Mr. Callahan, who hosts an internship where pupils get to assist him on actual cases.
Despite everything that has changed for her, Elle still maintains her personality in one aspect: her "glowing" resume. One of the memorable bits from the trailer ;)

"It's pink..."
"And it's scented. I think it gives it a little something extra, don't you think?"

The Climatic Third Act

Sure, it is a little unrealistic that most of the people recruited for the internship are characters we've all come to know.
This includes Vivian, Warner, Enid (the lesbian women right's activist, former women studies' major) and Elle.
And Elle isn't just satisfied with that, but she gives Warner a great zinger in return.

"Oh Warner, do you remember when we spent those four amazing hours in the hot tub together after winter formal?... This is so much better than that..."

Not sure what it is about the scene immediately afterwards where Elle is with Paulette in the nail salon with snow falling outside... there's no dialogue and it's only 5-10 seconds long but it makes me warm and fuzzy every time.

It's become somewhat of a norm for me in recent years, but a lot of movies tend to drop the ball in the third act. Particularly superhero and action/adventure flicks where it gets overlong or bogged down with special effects ("Avengers" is the only exception I can think of right now where this doesn't happen). But they do it amazingly well here where the dialogue and story is as memorable as it is in the first act.

And it's at this point I need to place my SPOILER ALERT warning because unless you want the juiciest secrets to be given away, I'd stop it here.

The case at hand is The People vs. Brooke Wyndam. She's being charged with the murder of her husband, Hayworth Wyndam. While discussing motive, citing the immense age difference, Callahan notes that Brooke was rich on her own right from a work-out empire.

This rings a bell for Elle, realizing they're defending former Delta Nu alum Brooke Taylor who apparently can help you lose 3 pounds in one class. "Heroes" fans know Ali Larter from her duel roles of Nikki/Jessica Saunders (split personality possessing super strength) and Tracy Strauss (genetically modified twin sister of Nikki, can freeze water).

Her first thoughts and another great line: "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands... they just don't."

Another friendship solidifies here as Elle and Brooke get to know each other throughout the process.. this includes learning her alibi and being sworn to secrecy about it.

Kinda hard to win a case if you can't declare your defendant's alibi (as it would tarnish her reputation)... but somehow Elle does manage it and we find out the actual killer.
It's definitely one of those super amazing, surprising moments that gets me excited every time, even though I know the end result.

Now for the-SPOILER-ridden portion.

While it evokes frustration at first, Elle's unwillingness to share the alibi wins Vivian's respect. They have a great moment discussing why Mr. Callahan never sends Warner to get him coffee and even dishing how Warner got wait-listed for Harvard.
Duh duh "his father had to make a call..."

It also gets the attention of Callahan who winds up doing something scandalous... he asks her to his office to discuss her future and he rubs her thigh.
Of course, it's very cliché that Vivian witnesses this through the crack in the door and their new friendship gets thrown out before the ink can dry.

My friend Pat made a comment on this once, saying how they kinda let that part of the storyline fall slack. Callahan never gets officially "outed" for hitting on Elle when he probably should have been.

To their credit, though, the misunderstanding doesn't last long (at most, 5 minutes of screen time). Thanks entirely to Luke Wilson, who tries to talk Elle out of quitting (she winds up getting convinced, oddly enough, by Mrs. Cromwell who happens to be at the nail salon when she's saying her goodbyes) and he also gives Vivian and Brooke the truth about why Elle quit.

With Luke Wilson's help, Elle takes charge of the defense with him supervising, something perfectly legal in Massachusetts.
As we saw in the early portions of the movie, if Elle is smart about one thing, it's fashion and hair care. Goes with the territory of being a Cosmo girl (who see Cosmopolitan magazine as their "Bible"). And that's all the knowledge she needs to discount the testimony of Enrique the pool boy and nail the daughter, Chutney, for the actual murder.

Around the time this movie came out, I think I did have more of a grasp on what meant to be gay... certainly more than I had pieced together in "Clueless"...
http://moviegoerconfessions.blogspot.com/2014/03/36-clueless-1995.html
but either way, it's priceless when Luke Wilson follows Elle's lead and gets him to declare his sexuality in front of the entire courtroom.

His "story" until that point was that she and Brooke were having an affair and she shot Hayworth over that.
The rapid fire line of questioning ended with "And your boyfriend's name is?"
"Chuck," he responds without even pausing.

The courtroom goes nuts with laughter. He tries to correct himself: "I thought you said friend; Chuck is just a friend."
Chuck stands up in the back of the courtroom and scawls "You bitch!"

[After taking a few moments to get my own laugher out of the way]
Yeah, I'm aware that scene takes place BEFORE Elle takes charge of the defense, so sue me for going out of order a bit.... that pun wasn't intentional, I promise.

Even more jaw-dropping is how Elle pokes a crater-sized hole in Chutney's alibi.
In her list of activities the day of the murder, she puts together two things that don't make sense:
She says she got a perm that day, but her alibi was that she was in the shower when the gunshot went off.

I'm a bit of a tomboy so I didn't know this... when you get a perm, you are forbidden to wet your hair for 24 hours...
it's even more amazing how the murder actually came about.

Chutney did fire the murder weapon and kill her father, but it was accidental.
In an amazing performance from a young Linda Cardellini, she confesses her disdain of Brooke because they were the same age and further:

"I didn't mean to shoot him, I though it was YOU coming through the door!"

The Ultimate Payoff

Except for maybe Callahan's position at Harvard with the scandal never formally surfacing, all of the loose ends are tied up.

Vivian and Elle are officially besties.
Elle does succeed in getting Warner back... and she rejects him... and he gets rejected from all of the law firms he applied for. (IN YOUR FACE!!... and apparently this was a last minute add-in to satisfy the test audience... thank god for that)

And Luke Wilson and Elle wind up getting married...

Ill-Advised Side Ventures

which enlists an obligatory sequel that should never have been made because it was nowhere near as good as the original.
The two of them are getting married and Elle wants to invite Bruiser's mother to the wedding, finding out that she's involved in animal testing, so she begins a crusade against that at Washington D.C. If memory serves me, it wasn't nearly as bad as "Miss Congeniality 2" but it was still a disappointment.

And much like "Bring it on," it was turned into a Broadway musical... now that's one trend I really LOATHE... the money alone just seems like a stupid reason to turn well-known movies into musicals. Movies that aren't even musicals to begin with.
Most recently, "A Christmas Story," "Young Frankenstein" and "Rocky"...just why?

50. 12 Angry Men (1957)

Code-name: Jury Fury

Director: Sidney Lumet (RIP, 2011)
Type: Courtroom Drama

Cast:
Juror 1, the foreman- Martin Balasm (RIP, 1996)
Juror 2, the soft-spoken bank teller- John Fielder- (RIP, 2005)
Juror 3, the stubborn owner of "Beck & Call Messenger Service"- Lee J. Cobb (RIP, 1976)
Juror 4, the stock broker- E.G. Marshall (RIP, 1988)
Juror 5, the former slumdog- Jack Klugman (RIP, 2012)
Juror 6, the painter- Edward Binns (RIP, 1990)
Juror 7, the sports fan- Jack Warden (RIP, 2006)
Juror 8, Mr. Davis, the architect who started it all- Peter Fonda (RIP, 1982)
Juror 9, Mr. McCardle, the old man- Joseph Sweeney (RIP, 1963)
Juror 10, the garage owner- Ed Begley (RIP, 1970)
Juror 11, the European-born watchmaker- George Voskovec (RIP, 1981)
Juror 12,  the ad executive- Robert Webber (RIP, 1989)

Notable Nominations:
OSCAR- Best Director- Sidney Lumet
OSCAR- Best Adapted Screenplay
OSCAR- Best Picture
Golden Globe- Best Picture- Drama
Golden Globe- Best Actor (Drama)- Henry Fonda
Golden Globe- Best Supporting Actor- Lee J. Cobb
Golden Globe- Best Director- Sidney Lumet

Write-up:

Thought I'd have a classic for the halfway point of my countdown.

How it would have fit into my 10th Grade English curriculum

For the record, we never covered this at my high school. "To Kill a Mockingbird," both the book (which I had trouble getting through) and the movie (which I enjoyed), and "Amistad" (also enjoyable and well-done) covered that topic rather well... about racial tensions, how they played out in legal cases and how people like Atticus Finch and Matthew McConaughey's character in "Amistad" stood up for colored folks because they were doing what they felt was right.
Sadly, "Amistad" was the only success story of the two, but Atticus Finch was all the more beloved, even in defeat.
 
HOW, WHEN and WHY this movie appeared on my radar [and on this list]
Mind the spoilers
 I believe one other movie on my countdown fits this scenario:
There was nothing on TV on a Monday night and someone pointed out this movie was on TCM and suggested it was a good one.

In this case, it was my dad and I was a teenager. Then when he started describing what it was about, bells were going off. I'd seen this story play out before.

This was one of the more memorable episodes from season 1 of "Hey Arnold!," my favorite show on Nickelodeon when I was a kid.
It was titled "False Alarm." The school klutz, Eugene, is being accused of pulling the fire alarm and whether or not he'll be expelled depends on a jury of his peers. This jury includes Arnold, Helga, Harold, Phoebe, Gerald and Curly. All the kids vote "guilty" except for Arnold, who has responsible doubt. They go over all the evidence, all of which points to Eugene except one: the Wankyland pencil. Supposedly, Eugene was recently banned from the amusement park because his infamous stumbling ruined their Thanksgiving Day parade so it's highly unlikely the pencil belongs to him.

Long story short, one of the jurors, Curly, confesses to framing Eugene. He had borrowed his "beloved" pencil and when he returned it, it was almost completely used up. Anyone familiar with the series would consider Curly as "the most likely to end up in a mental institution." I mean, there was an episode where he blockaded himself in the principal's office, hitting kids with kickballs because he was passed over for the role of Ball Monitor.

Good times...

In truth, a lot of the same elements played out in the movie. Helga was a combination of Jurors 3 and 6, being the biggest naysayer and the other wanting to get out in time for a sports event. Arnold was Juror #9. Phoebe fits the profile of Juror #2. The pencil was shoved into the desk the way the murder weapon (a switchblade).

However you look at it, in cartoon form, its original form (a play) or in film, "12 Angry Men" is well-played, relatable story that will carry some sort of relevance for the times we live in.

The WHO, WHAT and WHERE

The movie takes place in New York City with roughly 97% of it taking place in the New York City Courthouse deliberation room (the remaining 3% was in the courtroom at the beginning and outside the courthouse at the end).

On trial is an 18-year old man of color (on screen he appears Hispanic, but it's never clarified), being charged with the 1st degree murder of his father. It is up to the jury to come to a unanimous decision, deeming him either "guilty" or "not guilty." If found guilty, the punishment is the electric chair.
Given the various testimonies and overwhelming amount of evidence, the jury believes it to be an open & shut case. But to their astonishment (a couple jurors more than most), Juror #9 (Peter Fonda) voted "not guilty"...

#3: Do you really think he's innocent?
#8: I don't know

...and that's the main gist of the story. One by one, the jurors change their votes from "guilty" to "not guilty." It's not so much that #8 believes the kid is innocent, but he wants to talk the case out before making the big decision about sending him to his death.

Considering how you're forced to endure 96 minutes with the same 12 characters being cooped in a single space (and yes, I realize that's how some plays... heck, even some other movies run), I marvel at the writing of this story.

In a nutshell, what stood out to me was how humor seeped its way into the plot in the most unexpected places. The 12 would go over different pieces of evidence or the defendant's defense and sometimes out of nowhere, someone will say something and #8 would call them on it... this usually follows with another change in vote.

At first, they go around the room, asking why people think the kid is guilty. This tells us a little about the people here based on what they call attention to. Sometimes, the case is that they'll say something and later on in the film, they return to it, only to have their mind changed.

#2 says guilty, but isn't sure why. He's very meek and unsure, but throughout the movie, he gains confidence in his convictions

You can tell right away that #3 will be the toughest one to convince because he obviously has prejudices steering his decision. As time goes on, you learn that he doesn't trust the kid's innocence because of experiences he went with his own son. There was an incident where his kid ran away from a fight and he beat him to make him a man. Then they fought when he was 16. He's 22 and he hasn't seen him in 2 years, spending most of that time thinking he wasted all the work he put into raising him.

#4 looks at the kid's alibi, thinking it doesn't hold because he couldn't remember what movies he saw or who starred in them

#6 looks at motive, believing the kid has it. His father was abusive and this was probably the breaking point

#7 looks at the kid's history and notes "he's real handy with a knife"

They get to #8, who sums up why he has responsible doubt. He thinks the kid's defense attorney did a terrible job defending him. And all the evidence placing him at the scene was circumstantial, with one eye-witness and a neighbor below who claims to have heard the ruckus take place above.

30 minutes into the movie, one of the votes change. #8 insists on a new vote where he'll abstain and if they all vote guilty, he won't object.
#3 picks a fight with #5, who confessed moments earlier that he also grew up in a slum and they can't judge the kid without judging him, but it was the old man, #9 who changed his vote because he wanted to discuss it more.

Given that he's a stockbroker, #4 is very succinct and orderly when he's speaking, so he goes over the night's events one time stamp at a time.

They look over the knife, citing that the kid showed it to his friends the night of the murder and they ID'd in court as the murder weapon. He claimed he lost the knife through his pocket on the way to the movies. Before they can rule it's a very distinct knife, the only of its kind, #8 pulls out one he bought in a pawn shop in the kid's neighborhood that looks very similar.
When #11 starts talking, he brings up a good question: why did the kid come back for the knife? Seeing as it could have been traced back to him. And why didn't he take it with him in the first place?

This is shortly after #10, the 2nd most cynical of the bunch impresses that the kid can't be trusted.
#10- He don't even speak good English
#11- he doesn't speak good English and #11 is of European descent, which makes that line even funnier when it comes

#2 brings up a good point about how the knife wound was made and wasn't sure if it was possible for the kid to have done it. #5 comes in while they demonstrate the use of the knife, saying that you stab upward after opening it and given the height difference between the kid and his father, he couldn't have made that particular wound.

Little by little, they debunk what the witnesses said. The old man claimed to have heard the kid say "I'm going to kill you" and ran to the stairs in time to see the kid flee the scene. But he had a limp and after demonstrating, they figure he couldn't have gotten there in time to see the kid flee.
Then with the woman across the street, it combined two things. There was the EL train that ran past and she claimed to see the murder happen in the last two cars... and later they realize she wore glasses and couldn't have seen the murder from her bed without putting them on, which she didn't have time to do.

Between the glasses and #8 debunking #4's teardown of the alibi (even without being under stress, he couldn't think of the movies he saw a couple days ago), all the jurors are convinced but one... but he does finally cave

Final Comments

Ultimately, this movie teaches how difficult a murder case can be to decide. If you're sending someone to death row, you want to be absolutely sure, just in case they might be innocent.
Even then, though, I still have a hard time with Casey Anthony being acquitted. Clearly, it was the threat of the death penalty that tipped off the jury to vote as they did. In my lifetime, I'd experienced her case, O.J.'s, the Zimmerman case, Dr. Conrad Murray and Dharun Ravi for Tyler Clemente's suicide. The only results I was pleased with were Dr. Murray and Ravi, but I'm still getting over the fact he only served 10 days in jail.

I didn't really know any of the actors going into the movie except John Fielder who sounded very familiar. He did the voice for Piglet in the "Winnie the Pooh" cartoons. Amazingly, he died around the same time as the guy who did Tigger's voice, Paul Winchell.
I've heard of the Fondas, but have little experience with their films. Peter's performance in this was definitely noteworthy because he played both sides of the issue really well. He's like the everyman who just wants to make sure their job is thorough and the aim is true.

Watching this again, I found it funny, almost scary, how much Juror #12 reminded me of Jon Hamm, like he came right out of "Mad Man." Robert Webber looked so much like him and he was in advertising, just like Don Draper is.
What's even funnier is that I saw maybe one episode of "Mad Men" ever and I really wasn't a fan. Maybe there'll come a point I'll give the series another shot.
Jack Klugman, who played Juror #4, also stood out to me this time because he died the most recently. But I think he always stood out to me a little because he grew up in a similar neighborhood to the kid on trial so he became increasingly sympathetic and changed his mind 15 minutes after #9 did.

As the years went by and yet another actor from this movie died, I always took note. Now all 12 of them have officially passed on... makes me wonder if they ever get together in Heaven and relive this experience. Peter Fonda is highly doubtful because being a producer in addition to acting in this movie was super stressful yet he believes its among his best pictures.

Next Week

Funny how Jon Hamm came into this discussion... because he's in the movie I'm discussing next week. Albeit, a small role he probably got because he was a big name at the time (still is, as far as TV goes). And I already mentioned in my "Catching Fire" review that Jena Malone was in it as well... put her on my star map, actually.

Alongside "Less than Zero," next week's movie stuck with me for a long time after viewing it in 2011. And its kick-ass soundtrack was just as much as a star as the actresses involved.

66. My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Code-name: Lisa Vito  
"magic grits"

Director: Jonathan Lynn
Type: comedy, courtroom drama

Cast:
Vincent "my cousin Vinny" Gambini: Joe Pesci
Bill Gambini- Ralph Macchio
Mona Lisa Vito- Marisa Tomei
Stan Rothenstein- Mitchell Whitfield
Judge Chamberlain Haller- Fred Gwynne (RIP- 1993)
DA Jim Trotter III- Lane Smith
George Wilbur- James Rebhorn

Notable Award:
OSCAR- Best Supporting Actress- Marisa Tomei



Speaking of Awards...

Marisa Tomei was up against Miranda Richardson ("Damage"), Vanessa Redgrave ("Howards End"), Judy Davis ("Husbands and Wives") and Joan Plowright ("Enchanted April").
Which goes to show her win was helped by the fact these films haven't stood the test of time (as in, I hadn't heard of any of them).

Interestingly, this was the same year Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for "Chaplin." She appeared with him as Sennett Studios actress/director Mabel Normand. 
Two years later, she was cast as his love interest in "Only You"... not the best of his rom-coms in the 90's, mainly cuz her character annoyed the hell out of me for not seeing what was in front of her... until the final 5 minutes of the movie.

Speaking of Actresses... and Actors

As a fan of "The Karate Kid," I wanted to see this for Ralph Macchio originally. Luckily, I was only remotely disappointed by the fact he didn't have a huge role in this.
Clearly, Joe Pesci stole the show... and Marisa Tomei sometimes stole the show away from Pesci. I left the movie with the impression she had a strong Brooklyn accent. It is just THAT good, and I love imitating it whenever I watch or quote the movie.

Pick any number of scenes. Whether she's trying to talk Vinny out of hunting or talking about her biological clock or even her tumultuous courtroom testimony, she knocks my socks off every time.
Somehow, she strikes a perfect balance between strength, sexiness and eloquence. The sexiest moment being when she explains to Vinny how she did her best to fix their leaking motel room faucet.
I just can't think of anyone who could do it better.

Some might also remember the "Seinfeld" story arc where George fawns over Marisa Tomei, watches a couple of her movies, only to meet her and lose his chance with her because he tells her he's "sorta engaged."

But don't count out Joe Pesci entirely. On this list, I'd already mentioned him a few times and for good reason. For starters, while nobody can play bad like him, it's nice seeing him play a good guy.
This movie R-rating is 99% his doing. Let's face it, the movie wouldn't have that extra oomph without the cussing. I'd say I don't get to say that often, but with certain films, it's the truth and as I get older, I agree more and more that it's necessary.

Also want to take a moment to acknowledge Fred Gwynne who played the judge in this case. I read it was his final role and found out he died of pancreatic cancer.
He's not the biggest name on the list of celebrity victims, but all the same, I hate how that disease still has no cure.

Speaking of storylines and quotable quotes

While on the topic of Fred Gwynne, probably my favorite scene with him (other than where he kicks Vinny out of the courtroom for lack of proper attire) is where he questions a statement he makes:

Vinny: It is possible that the two yoots...
Judge: What was that word?... did you just say "yoots"... what's a yoot?
Vinny: Oh, excuse me, your honor, two YOUTHS

Eh, Alabama meets Brooklyn, a miscommunication was sure to happen at some point :-P

Most of the time, when you have overwhelming evidence, it's a case of a "frame-up." In this case, it happens to be so coincidental that:
a) two men robbed a general store
b) the two men had a mint green car
c) the men the police catch happen to be the innocent ones, yet the whole town so easily formed a case against them

Bill and Stan were merely passing through on their way to college. They suspect they were pulled over by the cops because they shoplifted a can of a tuna.
I still cringe when they include a supposed "confession" among their evidence and repeat it in court.

Geesh... quoting somebody in writing never takes tone of voice into account...
when Bill said "I shot the clerk", they didn't include the question mark at the end of his sentence...

We don't see much of the two guys and usually Vinny is the one doing all the talking in court. There's a good balance between the two, though. Bill is the optimistic one, mainly because Vinny is his cousin and the Gambini clan has a strong sense of family. Meanwhile Stan is the neurotic one who wants to jump ship at the first sign of trouble.
Like after two defunct court appearances where Vinny was thrown out for not dressing the part, Stan wants to use a public defender.

But throughout the movie, Vinny manages to talk his way out of things because he really is sharp in his debating. Once he's on his game, nothing gets by him.
I love his first great court appearance where he debunks evidence as coincidental and circumstantial. It certainly impresses Stan enough to change his mind (not to mention the fact the defender has a terrible stutter).

The quote at the beginning of this entry comes from one of those such testimonies.
He's talking to this one guy who sees the "getaway car" while making his morning grits. Vinny notes that the passage of time is off between when he sees the car and when he's busy making those grits.
It certainly paid to listen at a local diner where the cook explained grits take 20 minutes to cook.

Come to think of it, a lot of these courtroom movies elapse the way they do because lawyers know how to LISTEN to everything.

Speaking of Expert Witnesses

Ultimately, the case-cracker is NOT Vinny in the shower (watch the scene where he and Lisa look over the pictures she got developed), but Mona Lisa Vito herself.
George Wilbur is brought in to testify that the tire tracks left by the getaway car matches that of the tires of the defendants' Buick Skylark.

Going back to this realm of coincidences, Lisa just happens to know her way around cars and not just because she happens to come from a family of mechanics.
She passes her "qualification" as an expert witness with flying colors. As we know from her scenes with Vinny, she won't hesitate to call you on your BS.

Seriously, guys, the way she rattled off all that car talk without stuttering or blinking and with conviction, Marisa Tomei more than deserved the award for this role.
Again, just wow.

And her consolation prize for helping with the case: she and Vinny are finally going to get married, something she said she wouldn't be up for until he won his first case.
But it's hard to be sure if that's gonna happen based on their final conversation in their car riding into the sunset :-P