The Judge Movie Review

I fell in love with Robert Downey Jr. in 1989 when I first saw him on screen in Chances Are. From that point forward, I've been a fan. Because of that, I feel like giving an unbiased review of any of his movies is not possible. Not that my reviews are usually unbiased, I just feel like this one is even more biased than usual. This movie is a change from RDJ's most recent roles as Tony Stark and Sherlock Holmes. It's a much more serious role. It's a much smaller movie. But the story is so much bigger. 

I loved The Judge. It was brutal and uncomfortable to watch in some places. Robert Downey Jr.'s character is not a nice person. But his character is redeemable and he makes little changes throughout the movie that make you believe that as the story continues beyond the screen that he becomes a better man. I love the support cast. Robert Duvall moved me to tears a couple of times. His hard headed Judge was difficult to like but I got there eventually. The brothers, Vincent D'Onofrio and Jeremy Strong, were much easier to love. As were Vera Farmiga and Dax Shepard in their roles. The entire cast was phenomenal. 

What is great about this movie is that it's been a week since I saw it and I'm still thinking about it. I'm thinking about the beauty of many different relationships that are in the movie. I'm thinking about me as a person and how I would react in the same situation. I'm thinking about my family and how I am grateful that even though we have our quirks, we're not completely dysfunctional. 

There's no question that this movie won't be the blockbuster that RDJ's movies usually are but in the eyes of this fan, it is one of his best roles. I've become an even bigger fan after seeing this movie.