Matthew McConaughey Nearly Saves Problematic ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’

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Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Proving yet again that he can deliver when he avoids horrendous romantic comedy cliches, Matthew McConaughey does his best work in years in “The Lincoln Lawyer,” but the film doesn’t quite come together like one wishes that it would due to the common traps that befall big screen adaptations of best-selling thrillers. With at least three-too-many endings, paper-thin supporting characters, and predictable twists, “The Lincoln Lawyer” doesn’t deliver as a thriller even if its title character is one of the most interesting of the year to date.

There’s potential in a character as complex as Mickey Haller and it’s nice to see McConaughey get something to bite his teeth into instead of the lazy stereotypes that he so often plays. Haller is a bottom feeder, a lawyer who works out of his Lincoln and thinks of himself first in all legal situations. He’ll happily leave an innocent man in jail if the man hasn’t paid him yet. And he’ll happily run a scam on someone trying to avoid the glare of the tabloid lens. He’s portrayed nearly as a street hustler, riding around in his Lincoln and grabbing opportunities that he runs across. Fame and money are more essential than truth and justice in the world of Mickey Haller and McConaughey and director Brad Furman play him like someone who stepped out of a ’70s drama. He’s a complex, entertaining guy who can carry the right movie.

The Lincoln Lawyer
Photo credit: Lionsgate

Where Mickey carries the movie is through a case involving a spoiled rich kid (Ryan Phillippe) accused of attempted rape and assault. It turns out that the girl accusing him happens to be a hooker. Is she running a scam to make some cash and ruin an innocent kid’s reputation? Or is he really guilty? And how might this case relate to one of Haller’s old ones? William H. Macy, Marisa Tomei, Bryan Cranston, Michael Pena, and John Leguizamo co-star.

Hell of a supporting cast, right? Yes and no. The sad thing is how little any of them are allowed to do as “The Lincoln Lawyer” has to race from plot point to plot point with the speed of a runaway train. The plot isn’t that complicated when you step back and think about it but the film still feels hurried and cluttered to the point that no one but McConaughey gets to make much of an impact. Young director Brad Furman doesn’t stop to catch his breath enough running from scene to scene in a way that gives the film a manic energy that it doesn’t quite need.

Supporting characters are introduced and discarded in a way that makes the overall piece feel more shallow than it need be. And the final scenes contain a few too many plot holes for discerning viewers. Let’s just say — suspend your legal disbelief.

The Lincoln Lawyer
Photo credit: Lionsgate

Most of my favorite moments in the film are the ones in which the characters are allowed to catch their breath and share a drink. Macy does a lot with just a few scenes but Tomei, Cranston, and Leguizamo get lost and Phillippe, an actor I’ve long-thought underrated, doesn’t work in this part. He’s too obvious.

A piece of mass market thriller fiction has to meet different criteria than a movie. As you sit on an international flight or on the beach during a vacation, you want something that has a twist at the end of each of the last six chapters and you don’t care about poorly-developed supporting characters because they really just exist as plot devices anyway. Thriller fiction is about the plot — the twists that take you from beginning to end and keep you entertained. Film is a different beast. We need people to care about. We need the characters to feel like more than plot devices. And the lack of chapter breaks between the multiple endings allow them to stand out as ridiculous instead of whisking readers to the last page of the book.

Despite my problems with the script for “The Lincoln Lawyer,” I nearly want to recommend it for the energy brought to it by Matthew McConaughey. Mickey Haller just fits this actor like a tailored suit — so much so that I actually think a sequel to the film could be stronger. Until then, consider this one a hung jury.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com