Plot
Inspired by the civil rights activism of the mid-twentieth century, underdog Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon) decided to pursue a career in law. After graduating from law school, he can’t afford to realise his dreams of “shining the blazing light of justice into every dark corner.” Instead, desperate to earn a livelihood, he starts working for J. Lyman Stone (Mickey Rourke), a shady attorney also known as Bruiser. He’s taken under the wing of Deck Shifflet (Danny DeVito), a “para-lawyer” who, despite failing the bar exam six times, teaches Baylor the ropes of the legal profession, such as ambulance chasing. Baylor takes on three cases, varying from probate to domestic abuse and divorce to a wrongful death suit, successfully highlighting “the variety of a young lawyer’s life, where every client is necessary”.
Stage Fright & Imposter Syndrome
The Rainmaker focuses on an insurance case involving a 22-year-old leukaemia patient, Donny Ray Black (Johnny Whitworth), who will die unless he gets a bone-marrow transplant. Unfortunately, his insurance company, Great Benefit, refuses to pay for the procedure and has denied his claim on eight occasions. Baylor takes on the case as a matter of principle, as he believes to have the moral high ground. “I’m seriously outgunned, and I’m scared, but I’m right.”
If there is one thing that Baylor was right about, it’s the fact that he was seriously outgunned. After all, he had just finished law school and passed the bar but didn’t even have his license yet. In fact, the trial starts with Baylor being sworn in by the judge so that he can argue the case. In addition to lacking experience, he is facing an opponent who can afford a legal team so expensive that they offer a settlement, simply to avoid paying an even higher sum in legal fees. A settlement, however, wouldn’t give Baylor and his client the satisfaction of exposing the insurance company.
This being just another Hollywood film about a young lawyer, the audience expects that the trial will run smoothly for Baylor – after all, he is the typical idealistic protagonist we know from other Grisham adaptions. Surprisingly, the opposite is the case. “I’ve memorised the black files cold. I’ve read all the books on jurisprudence, the rules of evidence and discovery, but I take one look around the courtroom, and I realise I haven’t even been born yet.” Baylor not only stumbles over his words, but also his feet. He forgets to ask the judge if he may approach a witness. He asks leading questions during witness examination, which is, of course, objected to and sustained. Later, he objects having forgotten that leading questions are permitted during cross examination. Baylor makes every mistake one could possibly make during trial, reminding the audience that it is indeed his first trial.
Lawyer Jokes
The film features a narration by Baylor, in which he continuously pokes fun at the legal profession. Yet, the reality of practicing as a lawyer challenges his strong sense of ethics, and Baylor can’t help but wonder if he’ll turn into one of those lawyers he joked about. Below is a selection of Baylor’s jokes and statements showing his thoughts on the legal profession:
“How do you know when a lawyer is lying? His lips are moving.”
“What’s the difference between a hooker and a lawyer? A hooker will stop screwing you after you’re dead.”
“Everybody loves lawyer jokes, especially lawyers. They are even sort of proud of them. Why do you suppose that is?”
“Sworn in by a fool and vouched for by a scoundrel. I’m a lawyer at last.”
“Every lawyer, at least once in every case, feels himself crossing a line he doesn’t really mean to cross. It just happens. And if you cross it enough times, it disappears forever. And then you’re nothing but another lawyer joke, just another shark in the dirty water.”
Final Thoughts
The audience is taken on a journey from idealism to cynicism, as Baylor realises that he has “drifted into a profession that makes his skin crawl”. The Rainmaker stands out from other legal films, particularly with its charmingly accurate portrayal of Baylor’s first time advocating in court.
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