Okay, so I’ve been meaning to put together a list of good movies about lawyers. You know, the kind that really get into the nitty-gritty of the legal world, courtroom dramas, ethical dilemmas, all that good stuff. I finally got around to doing it today, and let me tell you, it was a bit of a journey!
First off, I opened up my trusty browser and started with a simple search. Just typed in “best lawyer movies” and hit enter. The usual suspects popped up: “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “A Few Good Men,” you get the idea. These are classics, no doubt, but I wanted to dig a little deeper. So I started jotting down the ones I’d seen and liked, and the ones that kept coming up repeatedly in the search results.
Then, I decided to get a bit more organized. I fired up a new document and started making a list, categorizing them roughly by sub-genre. We’ve got the courtroom dramas, the legal thrillers, the ones based on true stories, and even a few comedies in there, because hey, lawyers can be funny too, right?
As I was compiling this list, I started remembering some of the more obscure ones I’d seen over the years. There was this one film, I couldn’t even remember the name at first, but it had this amazing scene where the lawyer delivers a closing argument that’s just pure fire. I spent a good half hour scouring the internet, trying different search terms, going down these rabbit holes of “movies with powerful courtroom speeches” until, finally, I found it! “The Verdict” with Paul Newman. What a performance!
After I added that one, I went back and filled in a few more that I’d initially overlooked. I also made some notes about each movie, just little reminders to myself about what I liked about them, specific scenes, standout performances, that sort of thing. It was actually kind of fun, like revisiting old friends.
I ended up with a pretty solid list, if I do say so myself. It’s a good mix of well-known classics and some lesser-known gems. Here’s a peek at what made the cut:
My List of Good Movies About Lawyers:
- To Kill a Mockingbird – A classic for a reason.
- 12 Angry Men – Not technically about lawyers but a powerful film about the jury system.
- A Few Good Men – “You can’t handle the truth!”
- The Verdict – Paul Newman at his best.
- Philadelphia – A moving story about discrimination and justice.
- Erin Brockovich – Based on a true story, and Julia Roberts is fantastic.
- Michael Clayton – A slow-burn thriller with great performances.
- The Lincoln Lawyer – Matthew McConaughey in a surprisingly good legal thriller.
- My Cousin Vinny – Okay, it’s a comedy, but it’s hilarious and still has some great courtroom moments.
So yeah, that’s how I spent my day. It turned out to be more work than I anticipated, but it was a labor of love. Now I’ve got a killer list of lawyer movies to recommend to anyone who asks. And maybe I’ll even have a little movie marathon myself this weekend. Anyone got any popcorn?
