Review of The Judge (2014) by Oliver S — 30 Dec 2016

A small town drama with a ton of narrative potential, a picturesque background, and some strong performances to back it up. Unfortunately, somehow it ends up falling a bit short, perhaps in its effort to juggle an ambitious narrative vision.

That's not to say it has it's moments, enough to make it worth the viewing. The story itself follows an old judge (Duvall) and his estranged son Hank (Robert Downey), who reunite when Hank returns from pursuing his big city dream to his childhood home. What begins as a visit turns into a longer term stay as Hank's father suddenly finds himself being suspected of a hit and run, which is where the film plunges us into the layers of their relationship and complicated family dynamics.

(spoiler alert).

Here is where we get a sense of the film's true potential. As we learn more about this relationship between father and son, the film lets us in on why the father's suspected role in the hit-and-run carries added weight for Hank. It was a drunk driving incident that led to their estrangement. We also discover that Hank's marriage at home is not going well, and that Hank's father is sick. All of these things lead us to the heart of what the film is really about, coming to terms with a broken relationship and learning to atone and to forgive with the time that we have left.

All of this represents some solid potential, but the film seems to balance too much. The sharp writing lingers around in the tropes, even as the chemistry between Downey and Duvall (two strong performances) keeps pulling the film out of them. Thornton, who actually has the makings of an interesting character, is, unfortunately, underutilized.

The actors do understand the emotional core, and they commit to it. This is likely what led to Duvall's award nominations, and it is probably the biggest reason this film does manage to come together in the end.