The Firm

Rating:
Summary: What a load of rubbish
Review: Oh please! what a pathetically long boring movie. Yes, I have read the *book* and Cruise, Trippelhorn, Hunter and Hackman are all flat as a pancake. The firm's lawyers look like George W with a Marx moustache. The firm itself doesn't even look menacing, and Tarrance looks like an egg. Ray McDeere looks impossibly sleazy, and what on earth happened to the Locke of Bendini, Lambert & Locke. And what a ridiculous ending - mail fraud. The whole point of this story is Mitch's conscience, as the newbie, his fresh law school ethics. Instead he helps the FBI indict BL&L for f***ing MAIL FRAUD. Good grief.

Rating:
Summary: not firm enough
Review: good points: gene hackman, some great cinematography, some fast-paced scenes, at points the female co-star cuts the mustard

the bad points (my revenge at having to sit through 2.5 long, annoying hours): tom cruise is often emotionally fake and shallow, the story isn't always logical (so don't watch it if you like to analyze stories too much), many of the characters and scenes were WOODEN!, overall mostly just junk food quality (and at times i got a hair in my burger!)

why i kept watching it: gives insight into our culture and its ideals - the immature grandiose fantasy of being the genius, brilliant, athletic hero who stumps everyone and is more clever than the FBI and the mob [= the child is more clever than the abusive parents = unreality!]

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: One of the best movies I've seen. Had me on the edge of my seat. Well worth the time.

Rating:
Summary: The movie (not the book)
Review: I'm going to give my opinions of this movie, not the book it's based on, and I'm not going to judge the movie against the book because the movie simply isn't the book. If everyone posting here understood this, these posts would be a lot shorter and probably less rancorous.

Pollack is a better director than Grisham is a writer. The movie is better directed than the book is written. The ending works for me. I liked it. I liked Cruise and Tripplehorn. I liked the music. I very much liked the entire supporting cast (this is one movie I'd add to a list of great ensemble movies). Hackman gave one of his best performances, which is saying a lot. Hunter and Strathairne were excellent (their last few lines together by the water were written and delivered perfectly). Ed Harris was powerful. Holbrook and Brimley were very good. Brimley's little talk with Cruise over the photos was maybe the best scene in the movie, and his way with the simplest lines ("I get paid to worry when there isn't anything to worry about," "He's going nowhere," "OK, Mitch?") is the mark of a pro.

This isn't one of my favorite movies, but it does fall into another unique category--it's one of those movies I can watch almost anytime, all the way through, and enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: Simply Too Implausible
Review: Maybe its because I'm a lawyer and know what the "real world" is like (as opposed to the fantasy portrayed in this movie), maybe its because I'm not much of Tom Cruise fan (the only movies he's done that I can stand are Rainman and The Color of Money, and that's because of his co-stars in those films, not him), but for whatever reason I've got to rank this film as one of the worst I've ever seen.

The ending of the movie (which is different from the ending in the book) is so totally implausible that it ruined whatever entertaining aspects the film possessed. Cruise's performance is even more woodeen here than in last summer's disasterous Eyes Wide Shut. And, except for Gene Hackman, the casting is completely misplaced --- I mean, really, Wilford Brimley as a Mafia enforcer ???? Gimme a break.

If you're looking for a legal thriller, go get The Rainmaker instead, or watch an episode of The Practice.

Rating:
Summary: poor beach scene
Review: This is a great movie but it is too bad they did not do a better job on the beach scene..the dvd quality is terrible and they should have looked before the release..my copy is going back and hopefully a new copy will be better.......visit the cayman island you will love it!

Rating:
Summary: Why Did They Change It?
Review: After reading John Grisham's book, which I simply couldn't put down, I was excited for the movie. But when I finally saw it, I was a disappointed. While for the most part, it was a decent film, there were a few things that bothered me too much to really say I liked the movie. First off, the music was terribly mismatched for the film. When Mitch is pursued near the end of the movie, it is suspenseful and appealing, but the rest of the movie is filled with music that doesn't really seem to go with the overall mood of the movie. I was constantly annoyed by this watching THE FIRM. While the casting for the most part is good, I think Jeanne Tripplehorn is badly miscast as the wife. When reading the book, I had a totally different picture of how Abby would act and Tripplehorn was nowhere near it. When I first saw Holly Hunter in her role, it was also totally different than how I pictured Tammy would look, but I gradually accepted Hunter in this role because she fitted herself into the character. This never seemed to happen with Abby. Tom Cruise was a good choice for Mitch, and most of the rest of the cast is also very good. Also, the colors in the film were always so bright. I would have thought the film should be darker, especially with scenes inside the firm, to create the right atmosphere. But the firm, supposedly our "bad guy" in the film, never even feels threatening! The audience doesn't feel the sense of paranoia the readers of the book did, that the firm was always watching and waiting, this dark entity just waiting to swallow Mitch inside it. But my biggest problem with film is the drastic changing of the ending of the book. The film is remarkably faithful to Grisham for awhile, before veering way off course from the book to a completely different ending. While this ending doesn't ruin the movie, it does change it so much that it seemed like it might as well have belonged to a different film. There wasn't anything wrong with Grisham's version; why change it? Instead of all of Mitch's satisfying twists and turns in the book, we get what might be a bigger twist with ultimately a lot less bite. Adding the action sequences with Mitch being pursued was a nice touch for the audience, to keep them entertained through the end of the movie. And while I did like the twist with Abby and Avery, the movie allows too much time to be spent on Mitch and Abby's relationship, which shouldn't be the primary concern. I looked the book's approach to this much, much better. The DVD's extras are also very skimpy. A commentary about why Pollack decided to change so much of the book would have been appreciated. This isn't a bad movie, but it is a lot less satisfying than the thrilling book it's based on.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie, poor DVD
Review: Don't you hate it when they transfer a great movie to DVD in cheesy video quality? Right from the opening credits you can see the hairs, pops, and other artifacts we hoped would go away with DVD. I suggest two words to the DVD Producers - "DIGTALLY REMASTERED"

Rating:
Summary: Boring Legal Mush
Review: There is one thing you can't call Author John Grisham, and the word is "original." Book after book, made into a legal "thriller" that is supposed to entertain us. Some of his stories were good, like "The Client." But this movie is not as great. It is way too long (2 and a half hours) and tends to drag on at the end. The story has a conflict, but no substance because it seems that the conflict in this story is an empty threat that never evloves to anything. Even though the characters go through heated emotions, it is hard to relate or care about them. Not Reccomended.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but drops at the end
Review: Reasonably good version of the John Grisham bestseller: Sharp, idealistic Mitch McDeere leaves Boston for Memphis and the firm of Bendini, Lambert and Locke, making a Faustian bargain in the process. Once he gradually discovers their evil doings, both the FBI and the Firm get very interested. Has a good sharp story and solid ensemble cast, but the ending, which differs from the novel, has some major plot holes. Still, a pretty good thriller.