The Rainmaker - TV Review
An overcomplicated mystery weighs down an otherwise entertaining Grisham adaptation.
The Rainmaker movie (1997) is one of my favorite lawyer movies. With a top-notch cast (including Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Jon Voight, and Danny Glover), the David vs. Goliath story of a young lawyer taking on a giant health insurance company is a tightly-plotted legal drama that hits all the right emotional notes. The new TV series from USA (a reboot of the story) doesn't stand up to the film, but it has its moments.
Like the film, and the original John Grisham novel on which they're both based, the series centers on Rudy Baylor (Milo Callaghan), a fresh-from-law-school lawyer taking on his first case. But while the movie was 100% Rudy's story, the series goes for more of an ensemble feel. While this does allow them to stretch out the plot and leverage an amazing supporting cast, it dilutes the emotional core of the story. Instead of being centered around one trial and Rudy's growth as a lawyer, it bounces between a dozen characters and subplots. Gone is the original straightforward narrative about exposing a corrupt health insurance company. In its place is a convoluted mystery involving a wrongful death, shady corporate types, a hitman team(?), and a nurse who may or may not be a serial killer.
Despite the uneven plot, the characters (other than Rudy) are pretty interesting. Sarah, his girlfriend, faces a series of moral dilemmas at her new, shady, big-time lawfirm. John Slattery is sufficiently slimy as the head of said firm, who's up to his neck in the conspiracy. "Bruiser" Stone (Lana Parrilla), Rudy's boss, is a bold reimagining of the ambulance-chasing "street lawyer" originally played by Mickey Rourke. Even Kelly, the abused woman Rudy helps, gets added depth and agency in this version. It's just weird that everybody around Rudy has a more interesting story than he does. For someone who's supposed to be super smart, he makes some really boneheaded choices.
The show has promise, and I found the first season entertaining. I was pleased (but also a bit surprised, honestly!) to learn that it has been renewed for season 2.
Grace Jidoun
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Dinosaur - TV Review