See Matthew M sitting on his old Lincoln? That's because he's the Lincoln Lawyer! See, he rides around in the old car using it as a mobile office. Why? Because he just happens to be the coolest defense attorney this side of the Mississippi! Think James Bond in a suit with lots of legal smarts.
Okay, that's sort of the premise. The first twenty minutes of the film make the point that the dashing M Mc is one tough dude: he likes to defend clients and he LOVES money! Yeah, not so likeable...until the real plot begins.
The real plot? Well, no spoiler, but suffice it to say that our hero finds that client-attorney privilege can sometimes be a bummer! Who's in control here? The attorney? His client?
With talent like Marisa Tomei (still reeling from her extraordinary work years ago in My Cousin Vinny), Ryan Philippe (who, oddly, plays sleeze which seems to mimic his real life), and William Macy (my, how he shined in Fargo), the plot is almost secondary to the acting.
So, legal beagles, get out and rent this one. After the first ten minutes, it gets to be really fun! And don't miss the most unusual friendship between some gritty rogue bikers and our attorney-idol!
M.M. is a guilty pleasure of mine, although I have been tiring of him lately, as he seems to continually play versions of M.M., swagger, arrogance, and predictable. (Never as good as he was in Sweet Home Alabama.) Recently caught him in an early role where he really stretched himself. But he just seems to take easy road for some time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the "secondary plot" observation, Much of this was painfully predictable. But then it took some very clever turns. MM started to stretch again. I was intrigued by the legal machinations. Fun movie, but to really see complexity in legal Gordian knots, I go back to Fractured.
Well of course he's a guilty pleasure of yours...most ladies find him hot! But beyond his good looks, he does some good acting, at times. Sorry to correct my esteemed colleague, but I don't he was in Sweet Home...you're thinking of Josh Lucas. You may be thinking of A Time to Kill. Fact is, he's never really hit the A level for acting. He's a bit unidimensional. The machinations: so many indeed! This may be the first legal-beagle film that uses client privilege to create a lawyer-in-trouble them. Great to debate these issues, film partner!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I did it again. I have ALWAYS gotten those too mixed up. Drives my daughter crazy, since she likes Lucas but not M. On top of that, both are in Lincoln Lawyer. During the whole movie, I kept thinking, "Really! Why did they have to have Lucas in it too? Can't they see how much they look alike?" It's actually Lucas I like - he seems to lack the M. arrogance (have you seen M.'s cologne ad? Ech!) Thanks for the needed correction.
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