Going Soft

After The Rainmaker, another film adaptation of a John Grisham novel was recommended to me. Unfortunately, I found this to be a less satisfying movie.

Oddly enough, the most insignificant little detail told me right away that I probably wasn't going to like it. The opening sequence has the main character (played by Tom Cruise) interviewing at a number of law firms, searching for his first job out of law school. We see partners at the firm (should I say The Firm?) he'll end up with ply him with questions about his wife, his children, his other family members. I don't know about you, but I've been on both sides of enough job interviews to know that you are not allowed to ask that kind of stuff. And lawyers should know that better than anyone.

It's funny, because it's not like I was going into this movie expecting a hyper-realistic portrayal of legal procedures. (Good thing; there's not one scene set in a courtroom.) Not do I require such realism to enjoy a story set in the legal profession. (The fact that I loved Boston Legal proves that.) And yet, there was just something about the way this script packed in ham-fisted exposition, overtly hinted at a forthcoming mafia connection through the repeated use of the word "family," and messed up law that basic -- all before four minutes of film time have elapsed -- that I wasn't hopeful about where the story would go.

Indeed, there was nothing unusual about the story at all. Predictable, and slow-paced at over two-and-a-half hours, the plot was a bore. The presentation of it wasn't helped by a strangely inappropriate musical score that was essentially "smooth jazz piano stylings."

And yet, the movie managed not to be a total loss either. Basically, that's thanks to the epic cast. Tom Cruise does what he does, but it fits. Jeanne Tripplehorn manages to turn emotions on a dime without it seeming too much a stretch. Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, David Strathairn, Gary Busey... all have a great deal of fun with their roles. Wilford Brimley is entertaining too (though never much of a credible threat; when Our Hero beats the crap out of him at the climax of the film, I think it makes him look decidely less "heroic."). Basically, a cavalcade of fine actors make a meal out of very meager scraps.

Their fun is infectious enough that it distracts you from the lame plot more often than you'd think. So overall, I'd rate the movie a C+. But I still wouldn't give it my recommendation.