“The Judge” in us

“The Judge” was about a hotshot lawyer (Robert Downey Jr. --“Hank Palmer”) who came back to his hometown in Indiana from Chicago to bury his beloved mother. However, his father (Robert Duvall “Judge Joseph” aka “Judge”) was not happy to see him. But our heroes had no choice but to work through their unresolved issues because Judge was accused of murder. The movie was tour-de-force with cast that also included Vincent D’Onofrio as “Glen Palmer” whose baseball career was cut short due to car accident caused by Hank. Vera Farmiga as “Samantha” who was Hank’s first love; she had a daughter and owned a local diner and a bar. In addition, Jeremy Strong played “Dale Palmer” who was mentally challenged and connected with the world via a video camera. Last, but not least, Billy Bob Thornton as “Dwight Dickham” played a lawyer who wanted nothing more than to bring Hank Hank down to earth from the Heavens by putting his father in jail. (His last name says a lot about his character, doesn’t it?). And Dax Shepard as “C.P. Kennedy” who was an incompetent lawyer who had trouble separating philosophical justice from real-world justice.

Relationships here were crucial. The director’s (David Dobkin) choices were straight forward: close ups, long lenses, tight lenses, etc. He didn’t do anything out of extraordinary as we saw in “Birdman.” The reason was because of relationships and actor driven performances. 

The number one relationship was between Hank and Judge Joseph, father and son. From the start, they were not fond of each other. They barely spoke though Hank tried to get an “I’m sorry” from his father. After all, according to Hank, he didn’t remember his father spending time with him after the age of 13. And Judge didn’t budge. As he pointed out to Hank, he was the one who had to “put roof over his head, food in his mouth, and clothes on his shoulders” given that Hank’s mother was a housewife. And this tag of war continued throughout the movie. This game was played brilliantly by Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall as if they were real father and son. This family dynamic reminded me of “Nebraska” and “August: Osage County” where family’s emotions opened-up and felt like they were going to kill each other. Perhaps, this is what really missing in our real lives: Honest conversations with no holding back. But can we handle it especially when we live under one roof? If we could, perhaps, some indescribable hole(s) in our lives wouldn’t exist when the lights went out.

In the end though, both son and father realized that they were not truthful with each other and to themselves. For Judge, he didn’t realize that when his son needed him the most, he wasn’t there. Yes, he worked hard, but what about the evenings? What about the weekends? But since Judge grew up in tough household himself, he thought he was doing a service to his son as his father did for him. He made him stronger and made him into a man that became. Of course, he probably was wrong. After all, Hank’s “acting-out” (as psychologist might call his behavior) was to get his father’s attention and perhaps love. Unfortunately, Judge saw Hank as troublemaker and dream crusher. He sent his son to Juvenile Detention Center because he believed it would help. But it didn’t. When Hank was 17, he crashed his car with his older brother, Glen, on board ending Glen’s “great” baseball career. And because the Judge thought of Glen as Heaven and Earth, he couldn’t forgive Hank. As such, Hank left this small town. Surprisingly, Hank didn’t have any criminal record on his file. Perhaps, it was expunged. Or, perhaps, his father had something to do with that. Or, it was never started. After all, Hank finished Northwestern University and became a prima-donna lawyer with great paycheck and family (on superficial level at least). But he left behind his family, his first-love, and his town. And bitterness toward him grew because, as the town believed, he ran instead of owning-up to his mistakes.

His father was bitter because he didn’t think Hank was a man. A man must take responsibility for his actions, apologize to his mom and dad for his behavior, and do what was required of him. But then why should he? Hank was angry at his father for “abandoning” him. Interestingly, that what Hank wanted from his dad too. He wanted to hear that magical “I’m sorry.” But should anyone apologize for one’s past actions to others when such a person, on a spur of the moment, made a decision, accepted it, and acted on it? This goes both ways. In this instance, it was between Hank and Judge. Hank and Judge should’ve apologized for anything to themselves and not to each other. After all, when people apologize, they might not understand what is really meant. It is life, and we don’t have a guidebook on how to talk to each other, how to listen to each other, and how to make decisions on spur of the moment. Life is a like a curveball. You don’t know how it will curve in the air and how it will land. And Hank and all the others did what they thought was right in that particular moment and time given past experiences and interactions. Thankfully, Hank and Judge recognized it in the end, and they acknowledged each other.

Glen was bitter at his brother because what he did to his parents, leaving him to take care of Dale, and ending his dream of a baseball career. However, Glen didn’t look like a guy to held a grudge. He probably understood Hank for leaving his family but not returning. Similarly, Samantha felt the same about Hank. Everyone, on some level, understood his disappearing act, but they did not forgive him for that. The Judge said it to Hank beautifully in the sense that Hank didn’t even once come and visit, at the very least, his mother before she died. But when a person is angry, judgment, love, and care are clouded and one cannot see beyond it until he is hit with a brick on the head. And that what happened to Hank. He missed his chance to say goodbye to only one person who truly loved and understood him: his mother. This doesn’t mean I agree or disagree with any character in this movie though I can relate to them. This movie showed what happens when we live in our heads too much and become too self-absorbed in our self-importance forgetting not what other did or still do for and to us, but that people with whom we spend the most (especially in the beginning) are important to us and we want to take care of them because, in some way or form, they are family. And no distance or time zones will change that. We cannot escape from that. That umbilical cord is always with us till the end regardless of what we want to believe or think about those people we call family, and even friends.

I believe, in the end, Judge and Hank understood that. Judge died on a river on a boat while fishing with Hank. Before he passed, he told Hank, his son, that he was the best lawyer he ever met. But also, on some level, Judge understood that Hank was a better man and a good son. Likewise, Hank forgave (again on some level) his father and understood his father’s beliefs, the meaning of a legacy, and that he was a good dad. As the last scene showed us, he considered staying in his hometown and not be a “run-away” again. But we were left to ponder that as well. In 1989, he probably saved himself from his further falling apart. He found himself even though people closest to him or the whole town didn’t really understand it. But do we really understand other’s point of view and motives to do or not to do something? Just because Hank was known by a lot of people including his town, he wasn’t them. He probably never thought like them. That is why I believe Hank understood his mistakes and forgave himself as his town began to forgive him though Glen’s comment to stay and help him to take care of Dale was a bit selfish. But didn’t Glen want to be a good father to his sons? Therefore, forgiveness and providing help is essential when you care and love people in your life no matter how much pain they give you, or by how much you disagree with their decisions or lack of making any decisions. These people could be your family, friends, and even acquaintances. After all, isn’t this what makes us human?

One last thought: This is not the movie like “Birdman” though they are both psychological roller-coasters and about families. “The Judge” doesn’t have the same intensity and dynamism.  However, it has heart and slightly different look at a family’s relationships though the concept is not new. I recommend seeing this movie and deciding for yourselves what and how do you relate to this story because, I know, you do.. And if you did or wen you do, buy it and store it in your home collection. This movie is classic, and Robert Duvall is the true award nominee (SAG Award Nomination) because without him, we wouldn’t buy Robert Downey Jr.’s character.

I can relate to this movie more to its family structure because it is a common theme all around the world that I’ve seen, read about, and heard before. I believe no matter where a person is from, family dynamics don’t really change and not that unique. They are all in some way or form the same, just like all of us. It just comes down to how we relate to our own family at a given current moment in our lives.

And also I would like to congratulate Robert Downey Jr. and his team on creating this movie as his first project of his new production company. Please, continue to bring us material where disguises and suits are not part of a movie.  

Final Note: I could’ve written a lot more, but decided not to. The reason is simple. Do you really want to read a 20-page paper? This movie is very deep and can be a great psycho-analytical case study, but this is not the point of this blog.

So until next time, Adieu.