
The Judge, a 10-year-old legal drama starring Robert Downey Jr., is racing up the Netflix charts since it arrived on the US version of the streamer last week.
The movie has been viewed more than 5.3 million times and it’s currently the third most popular movie on Netflix, behind Shrek and Jerry Seinfeld’s Pop-Tart comedy Unfrosted.
Downey Jr. stars as Chicago lawyer Hank Palmer who returns to his hometown after his mother’s death. While he’s there, his estranged father (Robert Duvall), who’s also the town’s judge, is suspected of murder, and Hank sets out to discover the truth. The film’s cast also includes Vincent D’Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, Vera Farmiga, and Billy Bob Thornton.
The movie was directed by David Dobkin, in a somewhat surprising career move. The filmmaker’s other works include Wedding Crashers, the 2005 comedy starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, Netflix’s 2020 comedy in which Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams play Iceland’s representatives at the Eurovision Song Contest.
The Judge was divisive when it was released back in 2014 – although Duvall received an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for his performance, the movie only holds a critics’ score of 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Total Film verdict being “manipulative middlebrow awards bait without the substance to land any prizes.”
The Observer accused the film of “sentimental silliness and courtroom cliches”, while Rolling Stone said it was an “overstuffed, overlong slog”. However, critics seem to agree on the strength of the acting, with Time Out praising Downey Jr.’s “charismatic performance” and The Hollywood Reporter noting that “even when the circumstances seem contrived, the actors mine moments of truth that resonate with raw emotion.”
The Judge is streaming now on Netflix US. For more, check out our picks of the other best Netflix movies to fill out your watch list.
News
Pregnancy Twist in Sweet Magnolias Season 5? Heather Headley’s Latest Reveal Has Fans Talking
Season 4 of Sweet Magnolias ended on a sweet note. The new season, which premiered on Feb. 6, closed with Helen Decatur and Erik Whitley sharing the news of their engagement with their friends on Christmas. Considering the lack of major cliffhangers,…
It Finally Happened! Helen Is Pregnant in Sweet Magnolias Season 5, but Wait Until You Find Out Who the Father Is
Sweet Magnolias fans are wondering whether Helen’s wishes will finally come true and she’ll have a baby in the show. The romantic drama that is now making waves on Netflix is based on the eponymous book series by Sherryl Woods….
Sweet Magnolias Season 5’s Trailer Finally Addresses Fans’ Biggest Complaint – Find Out What’s Changed and What It Means for the Show
The fourth season of Sweet Magnolias is here, and it was truly worth the wait. There are a lot of great storylines to come out of this season, which starts with a Halloween episode where Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) and Cal (Justin Bruening)…
Drama Alert! Jamie Lynn Spears’ Pregnancy Arc in Sweet Magnolias Season 5 Is Nothing Like You’d Expect
Jamie Lynn Spears Opens Up About Teenage Pregnancy and How ‘Sweet Magnolias’ Helped Her Heal Jamie Lynn Spears has never shied away from the challenges she faced as a teenager in the public eye. Now 33, the actress and singer…
From On-Screen Drama to Real-Life Romance! The XO, Kitty Cast’s Real Partners Revealed
Anna Cathcart’s Kitty Song-Covey and her high-school romantic entanglements in XO, Kitty have hooked fans. The Netflix show’s ensemble cast has impressively captured the varied stages of love and heartbreak, the bittersweet journey of moving on. While the show continues to unravel…
From Teen Pregnancy to Protecting Britney Spears: The Sweet Magnolias Star with a Jaw-Dropping Life Story
Sweet Magnolias star Jamie Lynn Spears is behind Noreen Fitzgibbons who initially had an affair with Maddie Townsend’s ex-husband. Sweet Magnolias’ Noreen Fitzgibbons has returned for the fourth season but what is there to know about the actress away from…
End of content
No more pages to load