Have you ever watched a movie with a legal issue and thought to yourself, "Wait, could this plot really happen this way?" In Rain Man, for example, Tom Cruise kidnaps his autistic older brother, played by Dustin Hoffman, to extort his brother's inheritance. Instead of being presented as the somewhat flawed protagonist in Rain Main, Tom's character probably should have served time under a federal kidnapping statute. Rain Man is just one example.
Wendy Sheinberg and Jennifer Hillman. partners at Rivkin Radler LLP on Long Island, recently decided to look at some of these movies that mishandle legal issues pertaining to estate handling, litigation and the like. And in their publication, "Wendy and Jen Wreck the Movies," they comment some of the poetic license filmmakers often take, and offer their two cents on what should have happened, if the filmmakers went by the book.
On this episode of Call Your Next Witness, Wendy and Jen join Georgia and Brian to talk about some of the movies they are delving into, including Rain Main, Howard's End, and a few others, and to point out how Hollywood consistently gets it wrong. (At least, from a legal-realism perspective...although realism probably isn't Hollywood's goal most of the time.) Meaning, in real life, Lt. Caffey probably doesn't get Col. Jessup to just admit guilt on cross-examination. But it sure does make for compelling drama!
You can find Wendy and Jen at rivkinradler.com, or follow them on Twitter at @wjwreckthemovi1.
