The Firm

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Dense legal drama with strong hero has mature themes.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this legal drama features occasional moments of violence, with brief glimpses of gore. The show's plotting is very dense and swift, with a focus on criminals and their legal issues. Occasional language includes "hell" and "ass." The lead character's focus on doing good and helping others in spite of constant threats to his life and morality provides an worthwhile role model for mature viewers.

  • There are some areas of grey, where characters must behave immorally to protect their lives and families, but for the most part, there's a clear distinction between good and evil.
  • The characters who choose to behave morally must fight against heavy odds and shadowy, powerful forces to do good, which makes their sacrifices all the more powerful.
  • Although it's relatively inexplicit, there's plenty of violence on the show, with frequent use and appearance of weapons. A few of the violent acts get bloody; for example, a man's jump off a hotel balcony is followed by a close-up of his corpse.
  • Occasional sexual banter or innuendo; very brief sex scenes with no sensitive body parts shown.
  • Occasional use of language like "damn," "hell," and "ass."
  • Not applicable.
  • One main character smokes frequently, though her friends urge her not to. As part of the show's occasional view of the criminal underworld, characters are depicted smoking and drinking.

What's the story?

Based on the 1991 John Grisham novel and its 1993 feature film adaptation, THE FIRM picks up attorney Mitch McDeere's (Josh Lucas) life 10 years after the events of the original story. With the help of his brother and his brother's girlfriend, he's established a new firm working out of a storefront and is attempting to put the past behind him. Although he's ensconced in the witness protection program, it soon becomes apparent that the crime family that pursued him a decade ago is back to threaten him and his loved ones. Mitch must deal with the day-to-day demands of his legal practice while keeping one eye over his shoulder for ghosts from his past.
 


Is it any good?

 

Though The Firm is packed with action, it tends to suffer from confusing plot mechanics and all-too-brief info dumps. The producers clearly believe that there's an audience out there that's intimately familiar with the details of a book and movie that came out many years ago. Unfortunately, they don't provide enough bread crumbs for more forgetful viewers to follow into the story.

Thankfully, The Firm is full of great acting by some underrated players -- two Battlestar Galactica vets, Tricia Helfer and Callum Keith Rennie, provide supporting roles. Juliette Lewis and Lucas also bring life to the proceedings. They all do the best with what they're given, and the show's episodes have their moments, but the unclear execution of the series' central storyline makes The Firm fall somewhat flat.


Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about what kind of messages The Firm sends to viewers. Is it easy to distinguish the heroes from the villains?

  • What's the appeal of legal dramas? What are some other genres that show up often in mainstream TV?

  • Do you think you could risk your life -- and the lives of your loved ones -- to do the right thing?


This review was written by Matt Springer
Adult
January 10, 2012
 
great start for the new year
i was not so sure if i would like this show or not but as it turned out i did not like it i loved it but it has a very violent story plus some mild language so just be careful with realy young kids but great show though

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by Matt Springer
Topics:book characters
TV rating:TV-14
Network:NBC
Cast:Callum Keith Rennie, Josh Lucas, Juliette Lewis
Genre:Drama

This review was written by Matt Springer
 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

vote now

Will you see The Firm?


Already seen it? What do you think?

 

Been There? Tell us about it