"The Lincoln Lawyer" didn't really live up to my expectations, but it is still a good legal drama. From the trailer, it looked like Matthew McConaughey would be playing a lawyer who works out of the back of his car, but instead, he spends more time in the courtroom and in jail visiting his clients. To be fair, I was a little tired on the day of the screening, but I found myself almost falling asleep during the middle third of the film, as it slows down quite a bit; McConaughey's charm, however, and his rapport with his co-actors was enough to still make the film worth watching.
Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey, "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past") is a lawyer who mostly operates out of the back seat of his Lincoln. When a lucrative assault case falls into his lap, involving Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe, "MacGruber"), the son of a rich businesswoman (Frances Fisher, "The Roommate"), he takes it, but he quickly begins to suspect that his client is indeed guilty. His hired investigator, Frank (William H. Macy, TV's "Shameless"), helps him dig deeper into Roulet's past, and they soon begin to make connections to a prior murder that Roulet may have committed.
"The Lincoln Lawyer" has a great cast, including Marisa Tomei ("Cyrus") as a prosecutor and Mick's ex-wife, as well as the mother of their child; Josh Lucas ("A Year in Mooring") as the prosecutor who is on Roulet's case; and Michael Peña as an old client of Mick's. John Leguizamo ("Vanishing on 7th Street") also stars as a bailiff who often works with Mick. The cast works well together, and Tomei and McConaughey have palpable chemistry, which is always good to see.
Maybe see this film. I liked it but as I mentioned before, the middle third of it almost put me to sleep. The ending, however, is very good, and almost sets up the movie for a sequel, which I wouldn't mind seeing. The film is definitely worth seeing if you like "legal thrillers"; just be aware that parts of it move at a very slow pace, although the beginning and ending are set up very well.
"The Lincoln Lawyer" is in theaters today, March 18th.
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Liz Parker is a 2009 graduate of the University of Michigan. She currently works as an Assistant Medical Editor for a pathology website. Visit her at her movie blog Yes/No Films
