Jack and I enjoyed this movie about an early case of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court justice, when he was an NAACP lawyer in the 1940s. Chadwick Boseman, who played James Brown in Get On Up and Jackie Robinson in 42, gives a strong performance adding another important historical figure to his resume. Josh Gad (last blogged for Beauty and the Beast) shows some range in a perfectly serious role as Marshall's co-counsel Sam Friedman, defending chauffeur Joseph Spell (a terrific Sterling K. Brown, who was new to me before winning Emmys for playing Christopher Darden in the miniseries American Crime Story and Randall in 29 episodes and counting of This Is Us) from the rape accusation of his boss Eleanor Strubing (also a fine performance by Kate Hudson, whom we last saw in Rock the Kasbah) in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Director/producer Reginald Hudlin (directed Boomerang (1992) with Eddie Murphy and a ton of TV episodes and produced a few projects, including Django Unchained) brings the 40s to life from a script by Jacob Koskoff (co-wrote two others) and his father Michael Koskoff, 75, a Bridgeport lawyer who defended some of the Black Panthers in the 1970s. Here's an origin story of the screenplay.
Wonderful production design is credited to Richard Hoover (did the honors on 29 episodes of the original Twin Peaks (1990-91), Bob Roberts (1992), Dead Man Walking (1995), Girl, Interrupted (1999), North Country (2005), Temple Grandin, 42, and The Last Word, to name a few), though I'm not sure to whom I should credit the spectacular picture cars. We liked the historic court houses shot in Buffalo and Niagara Falls (NY) locations.
Composer Marcus Miller (a jazz musician, he scored Hudlin's other movies as well as I Think I Love My Wife (2007), Good Hair, and 88 episodes of Everybody Hates Chris for Chris Rock, among many fiction and music projects) delivers delightful tunes with Wynton Marsalis sitting in from time to time. You can stream the playlist on youtube as I'm doing right now.
Rotten Tomatoes' critics at 83% and its audiences at 88 join us in recommending this historical courtroom drama as Oscar season begins with many first rate options.
Moving historical portrait of a true American hero as a young, courageous man up against ridiculous odds. Loved it. One committed person can change things. Gives me hope.
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