The Judge Parent Guide

There are a lot of dislikable traits surrounding the tough skinned protagonist in The Judge. Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) is a hardened, high priced lawyer who takes pride in defending criminals he knows are guilty. “Innocent people can’t afford me,” he quips after a prosecuting attorney makes some critical remarks in the men’s restroom. For good measure Hank urinates on him as well.

After this opening scene it’s hard to imagine more reasons to boot him off your Facebook friends list, yet as this story unfolds we discover no end to his nastiness: He has been a rotten father to his daughter (Emma Tremblay). He has ignored his wife (Sarah Lancaster). And before the movie ends he will have a make out session with a woman half his age (Leighton Meester) only to discover her mother (Vera Farmiga) is an old high school girlfriend. So he makes out with her as well. And remember, he’s still not divorced.

Still, the real reason you paid to see this movie, and may perhaps leave the theater happy you did, is for the experience of watching Hank interact with his estranged father (Robert Duvall) and two brothers (Vincent D’Onofrio and Jeremy Strong).

It is his mother’s funeral that brings Hank back to his hometown, where his father, Judge Joseph Palmer, has occupied the revered seat in the local courthouse for decades. He’s hoping to pay his respects and hop on a plane, but his intended short visit gets delayed when his father unexpectedly becomes a suspect in a murder investigation. The unforeseen circumstance offers the pompous big city lawyer an opportunity to both display his competence in the courtroom and validate himself in the eyes of his parent.

Not surprisingly, Dad isn’t so sure about Hank’s insistence on being the defending counsel until necessity forces the situation. The painful process of trying to form a working relationship with his son, while at the same time dealing with his own unrecognized and undisclosed limitations of aging, results in many scenes of confrontation peppered with over two-dozen sexual expletives and at least as many scatological, religious and crude terms.

In addition to profanity, other content concerns include the two brief sexual situations (in which characters are fully clothed), the use of alcohol and discussion of alcoholism. In another scene, a character struggling with a disease and problematic bowel functions is seen naked (without any explicit detail). Obviously not suitable for children, these warnings may be a moot issue because this movie is targeting middle-aged viewers and likely won’t appeal to teens.

In the heat of the battle, relationships are somewhat mended and characters are compelled to face unresolved difficulties in their lives. With a somewhat unexpected resolution, circumstances ensue that eventually instill a sincere paradigm shift within Hank, while delivering a satisfying ending to the patient audience.

About author

Rod Gustafson

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.