subject: Hollywood Magic And The Law: Lawyers In Film [print this page] The allure of the silver screen calls loudest to the masses, while quietly whispering to those drawn to other vocations. Doctor, lawyer, astronaut, fireman... these are all very admirable professions as are the thousands of others not listed here, and yet the role of the movie star provides an avenue for entertainment as well as long time prestigious positions.
Actors and actresses get the opportunity to live out their creative ambitions while also choosing to play characters that fit with other dreams they may have had and lost along the way. One such hot tried on by many is that of the lawyer. Lawyers in film can be portrayed to either extreme. We have the ruthless bulldog types at one end, and the too meek to handle the case load at the other. One or more of these may rank on your top lists for film lawyer heroes still today.
Considered an odd ball out by those seeking truly professional lawyer portrayals, one fan favorite is Elle Woods of the movie Legally Blonde. She is the former fashion major turn Harvard law student originally seeking her one true love, only to discover her passion for truth and law beating stronger. Ms Woods rises as a hero to all the young fashionistas seeking higher education today.
Moving up from our starting point, we find Vincent Gambini from the film My Cousin Vinny. Although slightly more serious than our previous example, Hollywood still manages to bring a humorous twist to this tale of a murder case defense by portraying Vinnys personal life transition from big city Brooklyn to a small town community.
Last but certainly not least, we have an example of the lawyer we wish all lawyers would be: Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. This character lawyer was given the job of defending a black man during the time of the Great Depression in a less than segregated state. Atticus ability to see right from wrong whilst side-stepping black and white made him the most morally honest lawyer in any work of fiction.
These characters and many more are strewn throughout film history. We only need to dig out our classics of today and yesterday to revisit the stellar though fictional lawyer portrayals given by all the actors and actresses eager to step into these roles.
