C
Directed by Sidney Pollack
Adaptations of John Grisham novels are dicey propositions and are more often then not destined for failure. Sidney Pollack's "The Firm," probably the best known and arguably the most successful film adaptation of a Grisham novel, is still not a very good movie at all which just goes to show how difficult it can be to adapt Grisham's legal thrillers.
"The Firm" opens with hotshot Harvard Law graduate Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise, not that bad in this one actually) doing on campus recruiting rounds. He is fawned over by the elite corporate law firms in New York City and Chicago but ultimately decides to take his skills to a small but extremely successful Memphis firm called Bendini, Lambert and Locke. Once at B, L & L, however, McDeere discovers that the firm may not simply be an unusually succesful legal enterprise operating in a relative backwater but rather a far more powerful and evil entity than he ever could have imagined.
Whether you're a fan of Grisham or not, there is no denying that the strength of his novels rests in his unparalleled ability to develop suspenseful yarns that hold readers hostage, unable to put their book down because they are convinced that a big revelation is awaiting them on the very next page. As such, the success of a Grisham adaptation depends largely on how well it can replicate the narrative thrust of hos novels. In this respect, "The Firm" fails horribly, moving at an unforgivably pedestrian speed throughout. The only thing anyone should expect from a Grisham novel is to feel wrapped up in the suspense he creates and the same should go for any film adaptation of his novels. "The Firms" failure to deliver any of the narrative suspense that Grisham built his career on is inexcusable.
The casting of Pollack's film is also something of a mystery and results in performances of wildly different calibers from its core cast. Gene Hackman appears to have been misled into believing that he was starring in a serious film, as he gives a performance that goes far beyond what Pollack's film actually required. Tom Cruise, I have to admit, is not bad as Mitch McDere. On the other hand, Jeanne Tripplehorn is dull and unconvincing as McDere's wife and Wilfred Brimley is horribly miscast as the firm's mustachioed hitman. Frankly, I don't think that Brimley has ever been well cast in any part aside from his stint as the Quaker Oats man.
Although "The Firm" ism't completely unenjoyable there's isn't much in it to recommend that hasn't been done better somewhere else. I also hold a secret grudge against Grisham for glamorigizing the legal profession and making it look like every run of the mill lawyer deals with international conspiracies, terrorism, multi-million dollar fraud, mobsters, etc. on a daily basis.
Adaptations of John Grisham novels are dicey propositions and are more often then not destined for failure. Sidney Pollack's "The Firm," probably the best known and arguably the most successful film adaptation of a Grisham novel, is still not a very good movie at all which just goes to show how difficult it can be to adapt Grisham's legal thrillers.
"The Firm" opens with hotshot Harvard Law graduate Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise, not that bad in this one actually) doing on campus recruiting rounds. He is fawned over by the elite corporate law firms in New York City and Chicago but ultimately decides to take his skills to a small but extremely successful Memphis firm called Bendini, Lambert and Locke. Once at B, L & L, however, McDeere discovers that the firm may not simply be an unusually succesful legal enterprise operating in a relative backwater but rather a far more powerful and evil entity than he ever could have imagined.
Whether you're a fan of Grisham or not, there is no denying that the strength of his novels rests in his unparalleled ability to develop suspenseful yarns that hold readers hostage, unable to put their book down because they are convinced that a big revelation is awaiting them on the very next page. As such, the success of a Grisham adaptation depends largely on how well it can replicate the narrative thrust of hos novels. In this respect, "The Firm" fails horribly, moving at an unforgivably pedestrian speed throughout. The only thing anyone should expect from a Grisham novel is to feel wrapped up in the suspense he creates and the same should go for any film adaptation of his novels. "The Firms" failure to deliver any of the narrative suspense that Grisham built his career on is inexcusable.
The casting of Pollack's film is also something of a mystery and results in performances of wildly different calibers from its core cast. Gene Hackman appears to have been misled into believing that he was starring in a serious film, as he gives a performance that goes far beyond what Pollack's film actually required. Tom Cruise, I have to admit, is not bad as Mitch McDere. On the other hand, Jeanne Tripplehorn is dull and unconvincing as McDere's wife and Wilfred Brimley is horribly miscast as the firm's mustachioed hitman. Frankly, I don't think that Brimley has ever been well cast in any part aside from his stint as the Quaker Oats man.
Although "The Firm" ism't completely unenjoyable there's isn't much in it to recommend that hasn't been done better somewhere else. I also hold a secret grudge against Grisham for glamorigizing the legal profession and making it look like every run of the mill lawyer deals with international conspiracies, terrorism, multi-million dollar fraud, mobsters, etc. on a daily basis.
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