Lincoln Lawyer – Movies For Lawyers – The Act Of Communication Point Of View

Alan:

I really wanted to like LINCOLN LAWYER. I usually like Matthew McConaughey and I always like Marisa Tomei and John Leguzamo. And a film about an attorney seemed like a natural for our blob. The film however was a hot mess.

One of the essential elements of any narrative/story is to have someone to root for and to have a strong villain or antagonist. Well, there wasn’t really any hero to root for. McConaughy’s character had no moral center at all, other than an appreciation for the money he could make and the ease with which he could manipulate the system. Especially at this time in our society when Defense Lawyers already seem to have an uphill battle (well, the defendant must be guilty of something, why else would he have been arrested) to portray a Criminal Defense lawyer as only concerned with money is not only unrealistic, but irresponsible.

I really wanted to like him. However, he offered NO real redeeming qualities other than self-preservation and some loyalty to his daughter and his friend, his investigator. These friendships however were not really developed. The set up didn’t offer us anything to root for. What a disappointment.

TIP: Always make sure that you provide a story that has a strong hero, someone to root for with qualities you admire, as well as a clear antagonist to root against.

Katherine:

Okay, I confess. I fell asleep several times during the film. I’d say I saw maybe half of it. Yep, it lost me at “hello”. I guess what scares me is that I just told a lawyer yesterday during a workshop that if a juror falls asleep that the other jurors will discount what that person has to offer in the jury room. “You were asleep! You have no vote!” Of course, that is when the case is active, well done, alive. What if instead of that, the juror who was asleep says to her fellow jurors, “What did I miss?” and they say , “Nothing. Don’t worry. We can fill you in if you really want to know anything.”

TIP: Don’t put them to sleep.





Subscribe to Legal Stage by Email

Movies For Lawyers