Every once in a while I like to pick a film to watch based on some random still frames on the internet. And Legal Eagles ones were looking extremely promising — somewhat neo-noir-ish, fitting for a legal drama or thriller. Well, that was misleading.
Legal Eagles is the most childish, cheesy court drama I’ve ever seen. The plot deals with serious themes — arson, murder, relationship drama — but it’s presented in a borderline cheerful manner. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that it was an expensive pilot for an ’80s TV show. A child of the forbidden love between Mystery Inc. and Moonlighting. Then I looked up the director and saw it was the same guy who made Ghostbusters. Suddenly, everything made sense.
The plot itself isn’t even bad; it’s just weird in execution. Cliché dialogue, assembling the team of lawyers/investigators that only lacked a giant dog (or a talking ectoplasmic blob, for good measure), almost cartoonish villains. One of the biggest misuses of a great cast. Robert Redford? Peak ’80s Debra Winger? Daryl Hannah? Terence Stamp? How anyone can make a painfully mid film like this with those people is something worth investigating.
Not the worst film I’ve ever seen — it does have redeeming qualities like acting, visuals, and set design. But mostly it feels like a failed launch for a cash-grab franchise.
Every once in a while I like to pick a film to watch based on some random still frames on the internet. And Legal Eagles ones were looking extremely promising — somewhat neo-noir-ish, fitting for a legal drama or thriller. Well, that was misleading.
Legal Eagles is the most childish, cheesy court drama I’ve ever seen. The plot deals with serious themes — arson, murder, relationship drama — but it’s presented in a borderline cheerful manner. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that it was an expensive pilot for an ’80s TV show. A child of the forbidden love between Mystery Inc. and Moonlighting. Then I looked up the director and saw it was the same guy who made Ghostbusters. Suddenly, everything made sense.
The plot itself isn’t even bad; it’s just weird in execution. Cliché dialogue, assembling the team of lawyers/investigators that only lacked a giant dog (or a talking ectoplasmic blob, for good measure), almost cartoonish villains. One of the biggest misuses of a great cast. Robert Redford? Peak ’80s Debra Winger? Daryl Hannah? Terence Stamp? How anyone can make a painfully mid film like this with those people is something worth investigating.
Not the worst film I’ve ever seen — it does have redeeming qualities like acting, visuals, and set design. But mostly it feels like a failed launch for a cash-grab franchise.
