The Lincoln Lawyer

In theory, there’s nothing wrong when a movie reminds you of TV. But when a movie resembles a long-lost episode of ‘The Rockford Files’, that is a problem. Based on Michael Connelly’s page turner, ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ cruises into gentle misadventures, much like its greasily charming hero: Mick (Matthew McConaughey), a lawyer who works out of his retro town car. A chauffeur serves as Mick’s captive audience, while his ex-wife (Marisa Tomei), also a lawyer, trades barbs and consents to nostalgia sex.Who’s that suspicious client?

Ryan Phillippe, of course. (Are you getting a sense of how middle of the road this is?) He can’t just be a wealthy estate agent accused of murder. Perhaps ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ exists to lend definition to the soggy career of McConaughey, never quite the star he promised to be. Superior, if sidelined, are William H Macy as an investigator working with behind-the-curve Mick, and John Leguizamo as a mouthy bail bondsman. Set your alarm to wake you when the Ford administration ends