Customer Reviews

A Lawyer Walks into a Bar

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I saw the film at the SXSW film festival and had no idea what to expect. This film does an amazing job of exploring the culture of law and litigiousness in America, while diving into the lives of some cast members studying for the Bar Exam. You'd think this might be somewhat dry on the surface, but I was hooked in from minute one. I really found myself rooting for, and against, some of the characters in the movie. If Hollywood made more of these kind of movies, I'd be in the theater every week.

I'm not a lawyer, but if you are one, you have to see this film. And if you're studying to become one - this is a must see, without question. My sister-in-law just took the bar exam and I made her drive to a film festival in California to see the film. It was a real eye-opener for her; she got an immediate taste of what it was going to be like. I personally had no idea it was such a stressful/comedic/horrifying/insane experience. There's a poor guy in the film that has taken the exam more than 40 times. There's also reference to some guy that got so frustrated with the exam that he burned down the state bar's offices.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. The cameos by the likes of Scott Turow and Nancy Grace and Alan Dershowitz were incredibly insightful and provocative, regardless of where you stand on the issue of litigation in this country. There are a couple of segments with famous attorneys that will blow your mind. The lawyer in Texas, Joe Jamail, deserves his own movie. Very, very entertaining film.

I'm not even a lawyer but my law student buddy took me along on a jaunt to a festival in Newport,CA and I have to say it's pretty good. The suspense created by the sheer hell of preparing for the CA bar coupled with the interesting and often thought provoking slants on lawsuits and America's appetite for them keeps you in your seat.

I thought this film was very well made and was stressful, hilarious, sad, and inspiring at various parts of the film.

I saw it at SXSW as a law student and just recently took the Texas bar. I thought back to the film often while studying, and I plan to get together with friends in November to watch it on DVD when I find out whether I passed or failed.

It's hard for me to judge what a non lawyer/law student would think about A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar, but my gut is that even those who aren't connected with the law would enjoy the insight this movie gives to the human side of lawyers & maybe the role lawyers play in our society.

Or so says famous defense attorney Alan Dershowitz in this fascinating documentary.

America now has more than 800,000 lawyers. That's four times the numbers of lawyers in the WHOLE WORLD. And 130,000 more lawyers graduate each year from our law schools. That's just one of the facts in "A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar."

The only downside to this fun and fact-filled documentary is when it focuses on one of the annoyingly whiny "this-is-so-hard" law students who, after being involved in a very minor fender bender, calls her attorney FIRST and expresses her desire to initiate litigation for her "pain and suffering." When she appeared on screen, I wanted to *mute* the tv rather than listen to her self-serving diatribe and inane ramblings.

Fortunately, that was a small part of the overall picture.

The story is focused on law students in Los Angeles and makes the point that law school tuition runs $30,000 to $40,000 per year, leaving these students with few choices but to start making $75,000 a year right off the bat. Those with high ideals and hopes to make America a better place for the poor and needy, really don't have many options, because of the high debts and student loans.

My husband is a trial attorney and when I first met him (thanks to Match.com), I wasn't sure if I wanted to pursue a relationship with a trial attorney. Yeah, he was a better than the vinyl-siding salesman (whom I ditched during the first phone call), but a trial attorney? Yikes. But he made the point (as does Nancy Grace in this film) that when you're under attack in the courtroom, you need a smart-cookie attorney defending you and pleading your case and/or your cause.

It's a good film and it's kind to attorneys and yet, one of the best parts is the "bonus" feature that shows scum-sucking bottom dwellers chasing ambulances in hopes of making a few fast bucks. I recommend this documentary. Very interesting.

I had no idea the law profession was so crazy and difficult. This was such a funny, poignant way to look into a world I didn't know, thank god! A great gift for anyone who's considering becoming a lawer. Really interesting.

I had the pleasure of seeing this at SXSW and have been waiting for it to come out on DVD to share with my friends. Don't need to be a lawyer to love this doc.

Or so says famous defense attorney Alan Dershowitz in this fascinating documentary.

America now has more than 800,000 lawyers. That's four times the numbers of lawyers in the WHOLE WORLD. And 130,000 more lawyers graduate each year from our law schools. That's just one of the facts in "A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar."

The only downside to this fun and fact-filled documentary is when it focuses on one of the annoyingly whiny "this-is-so-hard" law students who, after being involved in a very minor fender bender, calls her attorney FIRST and expresses her desire to initiate litigation for her "pain and suffering." When she appeared on screen, I wanted to *mute* the tv rather than listen to her self-serving diatribe and inane ramblings.

Fortunately, that was a small part of the overall picture.

The story is focused on law students in Los Angeles and makes the point that law school tuition runs $30,000 to $40,000 per year, leaving these students with few choices but to start making $75,000 a year right off the bat. Those with high ideals and hopes to make America a better place for the poor and needy, really don't have many options, because of the high debts and student loans.

My husband is a trial attorney and when I first met him (thanks to Match.com), I wasn't sure if I wanted to pursue a relationship with a trial attorney. Yeah, he was a better than the vinyl-siding salesman (whom I ditched during the first phone call), but a trial attorney? Yikes. But he made the point (as does Nancy Grace in this film) that when you're under attack in the courtroom, you need a smart-cookie attorney defending you and pleading your case and/or your cause.

It's a good film and it's kind to attorneys and yet, one of the best parts is the "bonus" feature that shows scum-sucking bottom dwellers chasing ambulances in hopes of making a few fast bucks. I recommend this documentary. Very interesting.

I watch the video because I thought it would give Joe average a view point of how the legal system works...it doesn't do that at all. Instead it shows the struggles of passing the bar exam. It almost made me feel sorry for future lawyers as they put their heart and soul into passing the exam. Then I thought about the movie "Catch Me if you can" based on true events where a con man passed the bar and pretended to be a lawyer and this guy didn't go to law school. Then I thought about the tv show Smarter than a 5th grader where they have all these smart people who fail to answer all the questions. So my point is that maybe the bar exam is hard with such a bad passing rate because law schools are not teaching the right things to pass it. That would explain how a con man was able to pass the bar exam with no law school and why so many people can't win at the tv show Smarter than a fifth grader because who uses or remember the info that was taught in fifth grade.

This is a very funny documentary about 6 law students about to take the California bar (the hardest of the nation). The law students are a bit psychotic, rather neurotic, very nervous, and emotional verging on manic (ranging from assertiveness to doubt to failure). Being a law student about to take the bar, I am very glad I am not going to take the California bar!

The documentary also features comments from Nancy Grace, other famous lawyers and mentions some key cases and the big settlements that have been granted in the US (Coffee too hot?). I watched this documentary with my friends, all law students, and we laughed, a lot, but with a hint of panic in the laughter. Great documentary to watch, very entertaining. Even has some lawyer jokes.

The Special Features also include a piece on interesting cases.

Beyond law school looms the challenge of passing the Bar exam. This is no small feat, especially in California, which boasts a low of about 39% pass rate, making it the toughest such exam among the 50 states. This documentary follows the stories of a half-dozen law school grads and wannabe's who face this final hurdle in transforming their J.D. into something that can pay the bills.

Prep courses, family stresses, sleepless nights, the pressure to perform, financial stress - add up to a cocktail of tension as thousands of law grads convene in a Civic Center for three days to pass the California bar. Who will make it and who will fail?

Added interest flows from cameos from prominent attorneys, including Scott Turow, Alan Dershowitz, Robert Shapiro, Mark Lanier, Victor Schwartz and Joe Jamail.

Whether you are an attorney or not (I am not), or just interested in the law and the roles that lawyers play in our society, this movie is well worth 90 minutes of your time for its high drama.