The Judge (2014 film)

The Judge

The Judge is an upcoming American comedy-drama film directed by David Dobkin. The film starsRobert Downey, Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Vincent D'Onofrio, Dax Shepard, Jeremy Strong,Sarah Lancaster, and Billy Bob Thornton. The film is scheduled to be released on October 10, 2014, in the United States.

Plot

Henry "Hank" Palmer, a successful lawyer, returns to his hometown of Carlinville, Indiana, for his mother's funeral only to discover that his estranged father, Judge Joseph Palmer, is suspected of murder. He has to now defend his father in court against Dwight Dickham, a prosecutor determined to see Joseph put away.

Pre-production

The script was originally written by Nick Schenk. In March 2011, the script was to be rewritten byDavid Seidler.^[3] In April 2013, Bill Dubuque was enlisted to rewrite it.^[4]

The casting of Duvall, D'Onofrio,^[5] Farmiga,^[6] and Dax Shepard were all reported in March 2013.^[7] The studios had expressed an interest in Jack Nicholson playing Downey's father, but as he turned down the role, it was given to Duvall.^[8][9] As of March 15, 2013, Thornton was in negotiation to appear in the film.^[10] Meester joined the cast in April 2013.^[11]

Filming[

Principal photography started on May 31, 2013 in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.^[12] Shooting also took place in Attleboro, Belmont, Dedham, Sunderland, and Waltham, Massachusetts. Scenes also were filmed in Pennsylvania andWorcester, Massachusetts.^[13][14]

The film is set in the fictional town of Carlinville, Indiana.^[15] Filming was also done at It's About Time Clocks and Antiques store in Millers Falls, Massachusetts. It is the actual location of the antique store in the movie.

Release

The film was shown at the opening night of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on September 4, 2014.^[16] It was premiered in Los Angeles on October 1 at the Beverly Hills' Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[17] The film is scheduled to be released on October 10, 2014 in the United States.^[18]

Reception

The Judge has received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 44%, based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7/10. The site's consensus reads, "Solidly cast and beautifully filmed but thoroughly clichéd, The Judge seems destined to preside over a large jurisdiction of the basic cable afternoon-viewing circuit."^[19] On Metacritic, the film currently has a rating of 41 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".(Sources from http://en.wikipedia.org/)