Legalese (TV 1998)

When a sexy actress is charged with murder, a charming celebrity lawyer uses trickery to defend her against the press as well as the prosecution.

Director:

Glenn Jordan

Writer:

Billy Ray

Stars:

James Garner, Gina Gershon, Mary-Louise Parker

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Garner	...	Norman Keane
Gina Gershon	...	Angela Beale
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Rica Martin
Edward Kerr	...	Roy Guyton
Brian Doyle-Murray	...	Roy's Father
Kathleen Turner	...	Brenda Whitlass
Scott Michael Campbell	...	Randy Mucklan
Keene Curtis	...	Judge Handley
Matthew Glave	...	Kurt Lee
Hy Anzell	...	Mr. Blum
Tyrees Allen	...	Rod Brooks
Randall Arney	...	Dean Davis
Darcy Belsher	...	Reggie
Brent Briscoe	...	Cashen Depps
Frank Buckley	...	KCAL Channel 9 Reporter

Storyline

An actress (Gina Gershon) accused of the murder of her brother-in-law with whom she may have been having an affair is defended by a young, naive attorney (Edward Kerr) whose strings are being pulled by a slick celebrity lawyer (James Garner). Kathleen Turner also appears as the tv tabloid "Scandal Central" talk show host who exposes the legal sham and the actress' pretense.

---

Plot Keywords:

actress | attorney | unfaithful husband | sister sister relationship | microphone | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Crime | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Turner Network Television

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Angelan skandaali

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 89 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The pro-gun group's spokesman praises the "4th Amendment" as protecting Beale's right to own a gun. The right to keep and bear arms is protected by the 2nd Amendment (the 4th amendment provides protection against unreasonable searches).

---

Quotes

Rica Martin: Hey, it's a kiss, not a commitment.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Billy Ray (2007)

User Reviews

Overplayed

Angela Beale a famous actress is charged with murdering her violent husband . The problem with this premise is that the very first scene sees Angela acting all strange as she bangs on doors telling everyone she killed her husband , though maybe that's not accurate . Maybe I should be saying the actress playing Angela - Gina Gershon - gives a masterclass in how to mug and over act for the camera in order for the audience to know that maybe she didn't kill her husband in self defence

That's the problem with LEGALSESE it's ridiculously overplayed , so much so that you have to turn off the sound and avoid looking at the screen to stop the performances assaulting your senses . Bob Hoskins said that the camera can read your mind and it's true so why didn't the cast in this movie realise this ?

I notice that the screen credits say Glenn Jordan was the director while Billy Ray wrote the script but since TNT was the TV company that produced this I have the feeling LEGALSESE was the brain child of Ted Turner . The villain of the story is Norman Keane . Is he a surrogate Rupert Murdoch by any chance ? No doubt this TVM is trying to be satirical but for satire to work via a narrative story subtlety is needed and there's no subtlety in sight - Only very loud acting