153. The Firm

Our coverage of the late, great Gene Hackman begins with Laci and Matt getting sucked into the vortex of legal intrigue that is The Firm. And, okay, it’s not exactly a Gene Hackman movie, but he’s wonderful as always as part of this ensemble cast that is one of the all-time great ensemble casts. Seriously, this movie is a warm bath you can just slip into, not unlike Gene Hackman’s character Avery Tolar at the end of this film.

Bonus video: We talk about things people do in the movies that are weird, very much unlike things that people in real-life do. Watch it on our Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram, or TikTok.

Next week: Heartbreakers (2001)

Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams 

Time stamps:

00:01:42 — Our personal histories with The Firm and the legal thriller sub-genre

00:16:54 — History segment: John Grisham and the ‘90s legal thriller boom; brief overview of director Sydney Pollack; production of The Firm movie 

00:34:17 — In-depth movie discussion

02:07:57 — Final thoughts and star ratings

Sources:

“John Grisham Is Still Battling His Southern Demons” by David Marchese | The New York Times (2022) - https://nyti.ms/3FB3E0G 

“Boxers, Briefs and Books” by John Grisham | The New York Times (2010) - https://nyti.ms/4kZ37WE 

“John Grisham Talks About ‘The Firm’” 2011 interview with NBC - https://youtu.be/5THJBePAbHc?si=9Wf7gicHtKL1zLUs 

Artwork by Laci Roth.

Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC).

Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode:

“Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM

“Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg

“The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ

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