48
Metascore
39 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 60VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangThe Judge pivots on a simple yet inspired stroke of casting, pitting Duvall’s iconic gravitas against Downey’s razor-sharp wit, and then supplying no shortage of opportunities for both men to chew the scenery.
- 60Time Out LondonDave CalhounTime Out LondonDave CalhounA charismatic performance from Downey Jr and the growling presence of Duvall makes up for a multitude of sins in this big and brash family drama that puts the heavy emphasis on drama over family.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Judge is well served by intense performances from stars Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall, but is undercut by obvious note-hitting in the writing and a deliberate pace that drags things out about twenty minutes past their due date.
- 42The PlaylistKevin JagernauthThe PlaylistKevin JagernauthThe Judge has the curious ability of straining too hard while managing to say nothing dramatically.
- 40The GuardianCatherine ShoardThe GuardianCatherine ShoardThe Judge is a timeless film, in that it could have been made at almost any point over the past 80 years: rote plot, functional support, well-signalled twists. It’s a two-seater star vehicle offering little legroom for other passengers.
- There are also moments of more sincere family dynamics, which elevate the production beyond a hackneyed made-for-television movie. But they are too few to prevent a guilty conviction for Dobkin: first-degree, low-grade schlock.
- 40Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekVillage VoiceStephanie ZacharekThe Judge has its funny moments but is far more serious at heart, and much more of a slog, too.
- 38McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMcClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreA bloated all-star melodrama with none of the lean, mean legalese of a John Grisham adaptation, it’s a showboat’s movie cast with a lot of actors each promised “a big, cool scene.”
- 33HitfixDrew McWeenyHitfixDrew McWeenyThe Judge is risible Hollywood dreck, a star vehicle with nothing genuine driving it, and at 142 minutes, it is nearly impossible to defend.
- 25Film.comJordan HoffmanFilm.comJordan Hoffman“Expendables 3” has fewer nauseating clichés than The Judge.