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THE LINCOLN LAWYERMovie Reviews
Dramatic thriller about a charismatic Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, operating out of the back of a Lincoln Continental sedan, who scores the case of a lifetime defending a rich Beverly Hills playboy accused of attempted murder. Cast:Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, Michael PeñaDirector:Brad FurmanRelease Date:March 18, 2011DVD Release:July 12, 2011From:LionsgateRating:RLength:1 hr 59 min
The Lincoln Lawyer played to good reviews. • Connie Ogle wrote in the Miami Herald, "Maybe putting on a shirt is good for Matthew McConaughey. In 'The Lincoln Lawyer,' he dons a suit and gives a solid performance..." • And James Berardinelli wrote for Reel Views, "...fast-paced and satisfying, and packs in a few twists and turns without straining credulity beyond the breaking point." More Reviews Below...
The Lincoln Lawyer Positive Reviews (44 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: VERY GOOD(cg) "While the plot (based on Michael Connelly's book) is standard issue for fans of crime drama, Matthew McConaughey's performance is bracing."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 86 words, 03/17/11
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "...has the slick, disposable feel of the sort of legal drama you could find any night of the week on primetime TV.... insubstantial, recycled and forgettable."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 03/18/11
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "...full of whiplash energy, tasty acting and -- huge credit to director Brad Furman and in cinematographer Lukas Ettlin -- a scuzzy sense of Los Angeles as a perfect hell..."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 356 words, 03/18/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "That swagger, that rakish smile and that offhand drawl convincingly power McConaughey's portrayal of this slick legal hustler..."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 470 words, 03/18/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an enjoyable piece of pop entertainment... fast-paced and satisfying, and packs in a few twists and turns without straining credulity beyond the breaking point."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 845 words, 03/16/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (14 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "There are modest pleasures in a familiar story told differently enough that you're happy to keep guessing and watching, despite this one's five-ending pileup of a finish."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 977 words, 03/18/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "There's a reason potboiler paperbacks don't make good movies -- there's too much outlandish plot, even for Hollywood.... deflates into one ridiculous scene after another."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 390 words, 03/18/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a plot thicker than McConaughey's honey-dipped Texas drawl. Against all that heat, everyone and everything else just melts..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 765 words, 03/18/11
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a solid courtroom drama... brims with authentic details, zippy dialogue and colorful performances from even the smallest players."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 522 words, 03/18/11
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: VERY GOOD "...perverse and riveting, the climax a shocker.... doesn't transcend its genre. Instead, it does a deft job of reminding you... why the genre sprung up in the first place."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 890 words, 03/31/11
Mark Holcomb, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "As devoid of spontaneity as a D.A.'s defense strategy... convoluted and completely predictable... At least McConaughey is game..."(See all of Mark Holcomb's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 203 words, 03/16/11
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "McConaughey does a highly credible job in the title role... an innocent entertainment, with extenuating circumstances."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 704 words, 03/18/11
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "Furman manages to keep the story simmering along with touches of ribald humor.... qualifies as a surprisingly enjoyable success, largely because it doesn't overreach."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 458 words, 03/18/11
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a twisty, cleverly plotted thriller based on the crime novel by Michael Connelly... shamelessly entertaining and the best thing in it is McConaughey's Mickey Haller..."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 383 words, 03/18/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "McConaughey, with his best role since 'We Are Marshall,' keeps this 'Lincoln' running cool and smooth from start to finish."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 453 words, 03/18/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: POOR(cg) "The script is legal boilerplate bolted to mundane characters, the acting is baked-ham buffet, and the direction is basic cable mediocrity incarnate."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 428 words, 03/18/11
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Although the tricks are familiar, Hollywood ceded them to 'Law & Order' and its progeny a long time ago; it's kind of fun to have a big-screen courtroom drama again."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 496 words, 03/18/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...doesn't exactly have that new-movie smell. But because McConaughey is so darn good at what he does, the result is a hung jury."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 326 words, 03/18/11
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: GOOD(cg) "...does seem like a decent idea for a TV series, with its handsome, cynically efficient hero... McConaughey is fine in his first mature role in years..."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 565 words, 03/17/11
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "Maybe putting on a shirt is good for Matthew McConaughey. In 'The Lincoln Lawyer,' he dons a suit and gives a solid performance..."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 514 words, 03/18/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (9 Reviews)
Mark Holcomb, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "As devoid of spontaneity as a D.A.'s defense strategy... convoluted and completely predictable... At least McConaughey is game..."(See all of Mark Holcomb's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 203 words, 03/16/11
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...plays like an above-average TV pilot until it gets greedy and runs 20 minutes too long, with a few too many endings."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 156 words, 03/17/11
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "...a villain so comically over-the-top in his evil, he might as well be theatrically twirling a mustache and tying a damsel in distress to train tracks.... agreeably mediocre..."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 360 words, 03/17/11
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: VERY GOOD(cg) "...ticks along at a pleasing pace.... The plot is standard... McConaughey breezes through the early scenes as if he were the mayor of his own private universe."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 959 words, 03/17/11
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "There are modest pleasures in a familiar story told differently enough that you're happy to keep guessing and watching, despite this one's five-ending pileup of a finish."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 977 words, 03/18/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a plot thicker than McConaughey's honey-dipped Texas drawl. Against all that heat, everyone and everything else just melts..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 765 words, 03/18/11
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: VERY GOOD "...a bravura, career-reshaping lead performance from Matthew McConaughey and the stylish, assured direction of Brad Furman... a gritty, gripping L.A. noir..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 888 words, 03/17/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Andrew Barker, Daily Variety: WEAK "...stilted dialogue, bizarre directorial indulgences, excessive running time and boilerplate 'Law and Order'-style narrative... anyone hoping for more will be frustrated at every turn."(See all of Andrew Barker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 508 words, 03/09/11
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "...the kind of bad-guys-vs.-even-worse-guys film you can check out any time on TV, cable or Netflix.... accomplishes its job in a smooth, cool manner..."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 776 words, 03/09/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a plot thicker than McConaughey's honey-dipped Texas drawl. Against all that heat, everyone and everything else just melts..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 765 words, 03/18/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD(cg) "...not particularly well directed, but it has a gripping plot that makes you curious about its details and attentive enough to stay with it until the end."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 813 words, 03/14/11
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "There are modest pleasures in a familiar story told differently enough that you're happy to keep guessing and watching, despite this one's five-ending pileup of a finish."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 977 words, 03/18/11
16.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Lincoln Lawyer's reviews are separated by an average 16.3 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Lincoln Lawyer (44 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Lincoln Lawyer's reviews cover 77.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 23,341 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 530 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Lincoln Lawyer Coverage, Volume & Length (44 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 6.7 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Lincoln Lawyer's reviews on average broke 6.7 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Lincoln Lawyer's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Lincoln Lawyer (44 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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