Legal Eagles (1986)

Robert Redford, usually a pretty good judge of material, got snookered badly in this Ivan Reitman comedy that also starred Debra Winger and Daryl Hannah. Redford is a rising assistant D.A. who is prosecuting a woman (Hannah) for theft of a painting by her father. Before he knows what hit him, he's involved romantically both with the defendant and with her scattered lawyer (Winger). Redford is as good as he can be, given the circumstances, but this is a movie that doesn't know where it's going. Originally intended as a serious film about the legal wrangling over the estate of the late Mark Rothko, this film quickly degenerated when the script was turned over to Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr., whose sparkling oeuvre includes Turner and Hooch. --Marshall Fine Amazon.com

Romantic Charmer With Hi-Jinx!!!

I have always liked this film and I was so glad when it was finally released on DVD--especially the newer version w/a few extras (blue background on the cover). Redford & Winger are a charming, combative romantic duo with real spark & heart. Some of the antics are a bit overplayed--especially in relation to Darryl Hannah's femme fatale character, Chelsea. But, it's a winning film nonetheless, thanks to Redford & Winger and the smash soundtrack "Love Touch". June 27, 2008

Favorite Flick

This is one of my all time fave flicks and the character of Thom Logan is indeed my all time favortie male character. I just wish they would release this movie in the extended letterbox format. The movie has a lot of nice twists and turns and with the additional footage it really has a good curve at the ending. December 27, 2006

80's Flashback

I remember watching this movie on cable and on T.V., I was too broke to go to the movies back then and I was only thirteen at the time so on a personal level it takes me back to a nice time,plus that ROD STEWART SONG " LOVE TOUCH " plays on my head especially the previews when DEBRA WINGER and ROBERT REDFORD plunge into a lake on a forklift or something like it..ITs like "WHO's JOHNNY" and "SHORT CIRCUIT " . You hear one and think of the other. August 8, 2006

Lawyers Can Be Human

A very good comedy showing the Redford capacity to look silly, and to do it on purpose. he was wonderfully complemented by a subdued and understated Debra Winger who was warm and three diminsional, and often the straight man to the redford antics. We also discovered that darryl Hannah is not really very sexy, although that was her part. She was ouclassed even by the little girl. I highly recommend this movie as a great escape for a couple of hours. It is even possible to watch it twice. February 18, 2006

Too dumb to be funny

"Legal Eagles" is supposed to be a comedy. We're supposed to find the characters played by Robert Redford and Debra Winger to be amusing, their acrimonious relationship to be hilarious, and the way that they end up being partners despite all of the gibes to be romantically satisfying.

The problem is that the movie is too dumb to be taken seriously, and thus too dumb to be funny.

Briefly, the story takes place in New York. Robert Redford is an assistant District Attorney about to be promoted to be the DA. Debra Winger is a defense attorney, and Daryl Hannah is a young woman with emotional problems, and is Debra Winger's client. The plot involves a fire 20 years ago, when Daryl Hannah was eight, a fire that killed her artist father and purportedly destroyed a large number of his paintings. This experience left Daryl Hannah traumatized, but all is not as it seems, and now, 20 years later, Daryl Hannah is first accused of attempted theft and later of murder.

Unfortunately, the plot involves many elements that simply don't make sense. I won't go into detail, but Roger Ebert does a good job of listing four different major things that make the plot completely unbelievable.

As well as the story being dumb I found some of the scenes that were supposed to be funny to be anything but.

For example, Robert Redford is a weekend father to a teenage daughter. At one point his ex-wife threatens to go to court to prevent him from seeing their daughter. Robert Redford makes a telephone call to his ex-wife's home and starts an angry monologue of threats about how he'll take her apart in court. Then he realizes that he's actually talking to his daughter! This mistake is apparently supposed to be hilarious. Ha, ha.

In another scene Robert Redford and Debra Winger are together and see one of the bad guys. Robert Redford takes off on foot to try to catch him. Debra Winger, who doesn't know how to drive a car, feels it necessary for her to jump into Robert Redford's car and try to follow him. She makes a wrong turn and finds herself going the wrong way into traffic on a wide heavily trafficked street. There follows one minute of her frantically dodging cars at the last moment. Very funny. Ha, ha, ha.

This movie could have been a fairly good romantic thriller if they had fixed the plot and not tried to be a comedy. But the dumb plot and the unfunny attempts at comedy make it a complete waste of time.

Rennie Petersen January 7, 2006

More reviews at Amazon.com ...