A 2014 Robert Downey Jr. film has become the most popular movie streaming in the US today, with Netflix users calling it “the best they’ve ever seen.”
Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall star in the film The Judge, which despite its 49 percent critical rating on rotten tomatoesit has an audience score of 72 percent.
The Academy Award-winning actors play an estranged father and son who reunite after the death of a family member.
The Judge debuted at number three at the box office during its opening weekend and grossed more than $84.4 million during its theatrical run; with its recent release on Netflix, it has reached the top.
In fact, a user wrote on X, formerly Twitter, ‘How did I miss the opportunity to see the movie “The Judge”, starring Robert Downey Jr and Robert Duvall? Regardless of their strained relationship between father and son, family is everything and this film proves it. A must see on Netflix.’
Directed by David Dobkin, the film also stars Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton and Succession star Jeremy Strong.
(Left to right) Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall star in the 2014 film The Judge, which recently became the most popular movie streaming on Netflix.
Before reaching the number one spot, the most popular movie streaming on Netflix was the 2023 romantic comedy Everyone But You.
The Judge had been in the development phase in the early 2010s before filming began in 2013 in Massachusetts and Indiana.
According IMDBLegendary actors Jack Nicholson and Tommy Lee Jones were considered for the role of Joseph Palmer.
Nicholson was initially offered the role, but after turning it down, it ultimately went to Duvall.
It’s unclear when Downey Jr. was cast as Hank, but he got to work with his wife and film producer Susan Downey.
Downey Jr. plays Hank Palmer, a successful lawyer who returns to his childhood home in Carlinville, Indiana, after the death of his mother.
He reconnects with his brothers Dale (Strong), Glen (Vincent D’Onofrio) and his father Joseph Palmer (Duvall), who is the town judge.
Judge Palmer had sent Hank, then 17, to a juvenile detention center after a car accident that ruined Glen’s chances of becoming an MLB player.
Once a bitter argument occurs between Hank and Joseph, the lawyer chooses to leave and never return to Carlinville.
Hank returns to his childhood home once again after discovering that his father is suspected of fatally hitting and running an ex-convict.
He becomes Joseph’s lead attorney and, while searching for answers about what happened, discovers a shocking secret that could change everything.
Downey Jr. plays Hank Palmer, a successful Chicago lawyer who returns to his hometown after the death of his mother. He has an estranged relationship with his father, Judge Joseph Palmer.
Vincent D’Onofrio and Jeremy Strong play Dale and Glen Palmer, Hank’s brothers who live in their small Indiana hometown.
Downey Jr. was one of the executive producers of The Judge. His wife, Susan Downey, was one of the film’s producers.
Although not all critics considered the film to be the best they had ever seen, several of them pointed out the positive aspects of The Judge in their reviews.
“There are a lot of emotional fireworks in this big, thick but entertaining movie, which is obviously Oscar bait,” he wrote. The Guardian Film critic Peter Bradshaw in 2014.
“When Hank has to help his father in the bathroom, in a very heartbreaking scene, the words ‘Academy Award – for your consideration’ practically flash in the bottom right corner of the screen.”
Bradshaw’s review proved correct as Duvall was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role of Joseph Palmer in 2015.
Duvall did not receive an Oscar, but she did receive a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the judge.
More than 25,000 Rotten Tomato members who contributed to the audience score left more positive reviews, many of which praised Downey Jr. and Duvall.
Later in the film, Duvall is accused of fatally hitting and running an ex-con he once sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Social media users on X and Rotten Tomatoes have praised the film and Downey Jr.’s performance.
“Great movie with a great story and amazing acting,” wrote one viewer in April 2024.
‘Robert Downey Jr and Robert Duvall are very good together. I love this movie.’
Another person who saw the film praised Downey Jr. but criticized Duvall in his own opinion.
“I don’t know why, but I personally never enjoyed what Robert Duvall brings to the screen and the film should have been cut by 45 minutes and it would have been a much tighter film,” they wrote yesterday on Rotten Tomatoes.
X users were much more positive in their comments, with more than three users praising Downey Jr. and admitting that the movie made them cry.
“I watched The Judge and now I’m juggling some very complicated feelings.” an X user tweeted May 1st.
“The least complicated thing is that I know that Robert Downey Jr. can play something different and I’m a little tired of him playing the same character.”