Home » Movies For Lawyers » The Ides Of March – Movies for Lawyers – The Act Of Communication Point Of View

The Ides Of March – Movies for Lawyers – The Act Of Communication Point Of View

10 November 2011

From Katherine:

Oh, dear. And I wanted to love this movie SO MUCH. Political movies where someone learns about “the system” – I remember how much I loved and love Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and The Candidate, etc., etc., etc. I love innovation – a new twist on an old story. I was totally psyched with this one touted as “An idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail.” I am a sucker for almost anything George Clooney. And he is not only in it, he directed and produced it – so my hopes were high. The cast is amazing – from Ryan Gosling to Paul Giamatti etc., etc., etc. Just go to the official website and drool over this dream of a cast.

Everyone is brilliant. BUT – the story – NOT. It’s the same story we’ve seen a million times. And maybe that’s the point for the filmmakers. However – there are wonderful opportunities NOT to make this the same story. If you promise to see it and THEN email me, I’ll tell you where the first place I went, “Oh, no – missed opportunity.”

What can lawyers learn from this? I think there is a fine line from telling a tried and true mythic tale in the courtroom and telling a unique story that needs help from this group of jurors right now. THE IDES OF MARCH made me think about the number of times I’ve been in the room with an attorney who says, “I always tell the story this exact same way” or “I always tell this part of the story identically in every case like this.”

Really? Because this case is unique. So is the story.

TIP: Find the uniqueness in the story you are telling in this case.



Movies For Lawyers

No Comments to “The Ides Of March – Movies for Lawyers – The Act Of Communication Point Of View”

Leave a Reply

(required)

(required)