Sandy Kenyon Review: "The Judge"

NEW YORK (WABC) --
It pains me to call "The Judge" a 'vanity' project, but that's what it is: a bid by Robert Downey Jr. to show he can still act with the best of them after years of minting money as "Sherlock Holmes" and "Iron Man".

So much so, even the death of the family matriarch can't really bring them together and they remain miles apart when "The Judge" is accused of a crime and his son offers to help.

The best moments of this movie come when these great actors try to make the most of a weak, flabby script that isn't as lean nor as mean as it needs to be, with the possible exception of Billy Bob Thornton's part.

"I'm gonna impale your client on a 1st degree murder charge and you get a front row seat. My father's a lot unpleasant things but murder is not one of them," his character says.

A so who must bury his differences with his dad and defend him.

His older brother, still coping with long ago tragedy. A younger brother facing mental challenges. But wait, there's more! The gal Hank left behind.

Yes, it's way too much melodrama, and at almost two and a half hours, way too long.