The Judge
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall
Directed by David Dobkin
He may not be saving the world from an alien invasion but Robert Downey Jr. can still carry a film when the drama involves family estrangement in small town Indiana instead of superheroes defending the planet.
Unfortunately, even the actor's rapier-like wit can't rescue David Dobkin's The Judge from its inevitable fate as a predictable movie of the week. When big city lawyer Hank Palmer (Downey Jr.) returns home for his mother's funeral his stay is extended after his father (Duvall), whom he shares a frosty relationship with and is the town's beloved judge, is suspected of murder after an ex-con is hit by a car. Now, Palmer must defend Dad and patch up years of resentment; bear in mind this is only the tip of the collective clichéd iceberg present throughout the piece.
The film also piles on an assortment of weak characters such as an autistic brother (Jeremy Strong) who provides comic relief and a former school sweetheart (Vera Farmiga) who now runs the local diner. The veteran Duvall still proves he has enough mettle to chew his share of scenery and Downey Jr. plays admirably off him but the rest of the movie seems content to wallow in a sort of Hallmark-esque sheen due mainly to an uninspired script and predictable plot.
The Judge is not a terribly made film, it's effectively shot and at least tries to be earnest, it's just a shame such a potentially moving story results in yet another collection of familiar tropes.
