From the Hip

There's something good about this one. Sure, it's dated, some of the jokes don't land, it's very unrealistic and the acting and technical qualities are all over the place, but it remains entertaining for nearly the entire runtime. Judd Nelson is sorta flat, but him and his lawyer friends (Dan Monahan and David Alan Grier) are still fun to watch. There's some great character acting (by Darren McGavin, Edward Winter, Nancy Marchand, Ray Walston, Alan Arbuand) and the story keeps stringing you along while time flies. This might not be the most deep film you ever see, but it is oddly charming.

The story, about a young junior lawyer pulling antics to quickly rise the ranks, is filled with preposterous courtroom scenes that somehow, through humor, make you forget how stupid the proceedings are. Swinging a hammer around and arguing about using curse words during a deposition are just good bits. The third act takes a serious turn, the movie suffering for it, and there are some weird things that don't add up by the end (what was Judd's obsession with those comic characters about? Why is his friend having girl troubles?) but overall it's a decent lazy afternoon movie.

"Bzzzzzzzzzzt"

Robin "Stormy" Weathers is desperate to rise up the ladder at the law firm he is employed by - sooner rather than later! Manufacturing a series of events, Weathers crow bars his way into a position of prestige. But just as he thinks he has finally made it, the partners saddle him with a no-win trial...

Directed by Bob Clark and starring Judd Nelson (Weathers), Elizabeth Perkins, John Hurt and Darren McGavin, From The Hip is a quintessentially 1980s picture. Oozing a yuppie law firm vibe and with Brat Packer Nelson leading the way, it's no great shock to proclaim it as such really. That's not to say it deserves to stay back in that decade though, for although it hasn't aged well in context to our evolving societies, and as implausible as "Stormy's" legal shenanigans are, the piece serves up a nice blend of satire and legal ethic conundrums.

It's also decidedly funny, that is until John Hurt arrives as a pompous suspected murderer and not only steals the film, but also swerves it to a far darker place. Perhaps it's a blend too far since the film is poorly rated by many? Maybe Hurt's preening, borderline psychotic peacock performance only serves to bring to light the deficiencies of the other cast members? What I do know is that my recent revisit to the film still brought many a chuckle as "Stormy" pulls his bag of tricks in the court room, and yes I was still on the edge of my seat during the gripping finale as Hurt's Douglas Benoit is called to the witness box. . 7/10

Tonal shifts, murder by hammer (not shown), Judd Nelson's hair, and yes, even a vibrator.

What I've just described to you sounds like a misheard phone conversation. It's not. What it is, is a list of ingredients in this movie. From the Hip is a movie that has all those things and is still somehow watchable. Stranger too, it's entertaining.

From the Hip should never work. And it doesn't. Not for a second. But it's fun and it holds your attention until you forget just how preposterous and unrealistic it all is.

It's a legal dramedy. Yes, it really does combine three genres, and you know what? There's even a little thriller in there. The movie doesn't exactly merge genres, but rather, it switches from one to the other at certain times. It starts out as a screwball comedy, moves into a heavy legal drama, and by the third act, it enters gripping legal thriller territory. Yes, the tonal shifts are that jarring, but somehow give the movie charm. It's as if the screenwriter forgot the earlier parts while writing the later parts, and once he put it together, realized he had no time to make them fit better. But it is fun.

Judd Nelson and John Hurt are great in this movie, and Judd Nelson gives probably the most likable performance of his career. Unlike the tool he played in The Breakfast Club (1985), you actually want to root for his character here.

While it's totally unbelievable and unrealistic, it's pretty fun and entertaining, and if you weren't super into the over-the-top comedy in the beginning, it gets better, so don't worry. It's like if Hudson Hawk (1991) became a completely serious movie halfway through. It even maintains the seriousness right up until the climax, which seems very derivative of many other legal thrillers until you realize that this movie preceded them all. Check it out. It's worth at least one watch, and it's just a nice movie to be able to say you saw.

A funny, insightful script that is treated a bit too lightly by the principals. No one looks like they're taking the story seriously except John Hurt, whose performance towers above everyone else's (it's too bad he only occupies the screen for 20 or so minutes). There are the odd moments of idiocy, and the entire effect is like an above average episode of a television law drama.

My favorite scene is where Judd Nelson crouches behind a table full of classic literature, tossing out books at the judge. Sometimes, Nelson doesn't quite know what his character is doing, but he manages to entertain and keep the focus on him.

But the first half of the movie is farce and the second half (Hurt's story) is serious drama. At one point this is signaled by Dan Monahan, who says, "This isn't fun anymore." There are some good gags throughout and the drama could hold its own if the first part of the movie weren't so long. It could have been shortened considerably to make the John Hurt story longer and more effective. I enjoyed watching this movie and would recommend it to anyone who likes television law type shows.

What should an attorney do when defending a client they know is guilty? From the hip deals with this legal dilemma in a very amusing format. Judd Nelson is hilarious as an irreverent attorney who gets results. I thought this film was hilarious. Why people, thought this was a "mongrel of a film", makes me wonder, again, if they were actually awake when reviewing this film. Lighten up. I give this film three out of four stars.