BootDigest
Such a frustrating disappointment
Calum Hutton
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Cristal
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Parker Lewis
I saw the first few seasons of L.A. Law and some story lines really stuck out. One was where one of the attorneys Jonathan Rollns (played by Blair Underwood) made a very anti-Japanese closing presentation to the jury in an unlawful dismissal trial (the company was Japanese and the attorney represented one of the dismissed employees), and so disgraceful was it that the judge admonished Rollins from the bench. Another was where I think Michael Kuzak represented a black client who was found guilty of murdering his white girlfriend I think. Now that was explosive. The client was sentenced to death, and I wish I knew if his appeal succeeded. It's been said that the popularity of L.A. Law propelled many people to study law. Maybe. Now I guess it's Suits is the show to watch.
mattkratz
This was a terrific legal drama about a hodgepodge of lawyers in an upscale legal firm in Los Angeles, and it focused on their cases and their lives. The story lines were terrific as were the characters, like the womanizing Arnie (a character you usually find in sitcoms!), the retarded office worker Bennie, the Hispanic attorney Victor who knew he had been hired to meet racial status quos, and the nasty attorney who met her end when she fell down the elevator shaft. I loved the theme song-it ranks among my all-time favorites. Anyone who likes legal dramas will love this show. Compare and contrast it to The Practice. You might find it interesting.*** out of ****
asmith-7
The previous post was less than favorable to this incredible show ("great actors, flawed writing"), so I just had to weigh in. For a moment, forget that "L.A. Law" presented some of the most compelling and unusual legal cases as drama (some of them so unusual, in fact, showrunner David E. Kelley would revisit them in his own "Picket Fences," "The Practice," and even "Ally McBeal"). "L.A. Law" brought black comedy back to television and presented sexuality and sensuality that actually advanced its storylines. The latter were core character traits of Corbin Bernsen's Arnold Becker and Jill Eikenberry's and Michael Tucker's Ann Kelsey and Stuart Markowicz, respectively. You can argue the tastefulness of these scenes and others, but you couldn't make a case for their gratuity.The writing, of course, enabled the other collaborators on this show to perform at the peaks of their abilities. The show explored some of the more difficult issues of its time through our legal adversarial process. Whether surgeons should be obligated to operate on AIDS patients, the right for the terminally ill to die, the lives of the mentally challenged, sexual dysfunctions, the pressures and responsibilities of the police -- these and other episodes paved the way for the shows we're watching today. "L.A. Law" stood on the shoulders of giants, yes, but it became a giant in its own right.Arguably the show created by Stephen Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher suffered with the departure of David. E. Kelley in its fifth season. The guys who used to run "St. Elsewhere" had a brief stint as showrunners, and viewers began tuning out when the show became less about L.A. lawyers and more about various medical maladies.That fifth season was especially dramatic, too, as several cast members also were leaving, which freed the writers from some of the constraints of series television -- namely, that characters could not change significantly from week to week.To dismiss "L.A. Law" as a show about yuppie lawyers is to misjudge a deep, poignant, and important book by its slick, glossy cover. Check it out.
niceguywacooltie
Kerplunk. LA Law shows the importance of the executive producer in episodic television. The first few seasons where fantastic. Then David Bochco left. The best part of the first three years is that one never knew who to root for, the most successful characters were the slimiest, the nice guys never got ahead, that's life and LA Law wasn't afraid to say it though it always challenged the audience to consider what this meant. Then Bochco left and the tone of the show changed to something more conventional. Boring. Those who are tired of the simple moralizing which has become standard fare on hour long tv should check out the first few seasons.
