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performance and found fault with the character of
Justice Ruth Loomis but pointed to the screenplay as “the main source of difficulty. The authors' idea is to confront a crotchety liberal Justice, Dan Snow, with the sprightly, more conservative Ruth Loomis, and let the sparks fly. However, Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Lee have a way of mistaking hectoring, nagging and all-out nastiness for the stuff of which sparks are made.” Director Ronald Neame came under fire for a variety of errors, including a scene set in August with snow and slush and the discordant casting of
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concludes she has a serious conflict of interest on the
Omnitech case, and must now resign her Associate Justice position. When Snow hears this, he leaves the hospital abruptly and after more debate, talks her out of resigning. They travel by taxi to the Supreme Court to announce her discovery and attend the next conference, one that will no doubt excite the Omnitech case and get it on the docket for the high court to review.
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wrote that "the comedy is light and entertaining, though it falls short of greatness for a number of reasons. Basically, Clayburgh is too young, Walter
Matthau is too much of a comic and the plot line is too pat, too easy.- Even with those shortcoming, however, the film works pretty well and provides
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Based on something Snow intimated during their debate, Loomis returns to
California overnight. There, in a records storage center, she discovers proof that her late husband and his law firm covered up the death of their client, Donald Richards. Because of her former association with the law firm, she
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Over time, the two judges begin to like and respect each other. While he and Loomis are debating the complexities of the momentum engine/Omnitech case after hours in the empty courthouse, Snow suffers a possible "heart episode" and goes to the hospital. Loomis, greatly worried, visits him while he
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The movie does not seem to benefit from the marketing decision, and certainly not from current events. Seeing
Clayburgh in the role so soon after the introduction of O'Connor merely underscores the absurdity of casting a young leading lady in the role of a person who,' by all that is judicial
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opened her review of the film with two questions: “What if the latest
Supreme Court Justice were a woman? And what if that woman were a terrible pill?” concisely summarizing her problems with the film, which she felt clearly showed signs of having been rushed to market. She praised Matthau's
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believed that
Matthau and Clayburgh were miscast and said that the film "says little about the law, and even less about the high court. Unless you care that there may be spittoons under each justice's desk." Bruce Blackader of
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Even Walter
Matthau, as the ascorbic, liberal Justice Dan Snow, who is at odds with conservative Justice Ruth Loomis ("Tim Mother Superior of Orange County," he calls her), looks too young for a part that was played onstage by
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beat
Paramount Pictures to the punch by nominating Sandra Day O'Connor as the country's first female Supreme Court justice, the studio figured it had better trot out its nominee—Jill Clayburgh—as soon as possible.
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who is many years older than Loomis and with many years on the
Supreme Court, clash intellectually on just about every judicial issue before them. One case involves a pornographic film and involves arguments about
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called it "a hit-and-miss film that hangs its uneven mix of political commentary, romance, comedy and drama on the timely premise of the first appointment of a woman to the US Supreme Court." Michael Blowen of
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467:(the title refers to the day when the court opens its sessions); it's only serviceably directed by Ronald Neame; and the ending is curiously weak and anti-climactic." Joe Pollock of the
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Another is a lawsuit, sent up from the lower court, brought by a company's stockholders regarding the suppression of a possibly revolutionary new power source, a
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criticized Matthau's performance and the script dynamics while noting that it "seems certain to split the court of public opinion". Thomas Fox of
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as the first female Supreme Court justice on July 7, 1981, forced the film's release a month after her nomination, in August 1981.
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also liked the film, giving it three stars and commended "the witty script" and Matthau and Clayburgh's chemistry.
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commented that "Walter Matihau spends the entire movie looking as if he's looking for
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called the film "very lightweight stuff considering the potential of its subject".
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1981 American film based on the play of the same name directed by Ronald Neame
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believed its box office could benefit from the timing, much like that of
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Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
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Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
813:"The Front Row: 'First Monday in October' Results in a Split Court"
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in a role very similar to his character in the television series.
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645:"Matthau, Clayburgh casting doesn't do justice to 'October'"
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One positive review, however, came from Nancy Scott of the
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on July 6, 2004. No Blu ray release has been announced.
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the day that the Supreme Court commences its annual term
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a good number of laugh lines." Robert C. Trussell of
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Richard McMurray as Associate Justice Richard Carey
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260:for release in February 1982, but President
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517:necessity, would be well into middle age.
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870:"An affirmative ruling on 'First Monday'"
355:as Chief Justice James Jefferson Crawford
256:Paramount Pictures originally scheduled
727:Trussell, Robert C. (August 23, 1981).
620:"Movie Review: First Monday in October"
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394:as Associate Justice Benjamin Halperin
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906:. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
896:Eisenhuth, Sue (February 21, 1982).
673:"Timing on the side of First Monday"
671:Blackader, Bruce (August 21, 1981).
1252:English-language comedy-drama films
898:"Good laughs in a spoof of the law"
755:Blowen, Michael (August 21, 1981).
403:as Associate Justice Ambrose Quincy
241:(for which she was nominated for a
1207:1980s political comedy-drama films
388:as Associate Justice Josiah Clewes
233:(for which he was nominated for a
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811:Howard, Edwin (August 21, 1981).
783:Mathews, Jack (August 21, 1981).
209:, produced by Paul M. Heller and
868:Scott, Nancy (August 21, 1981).
699:Pollock, Joe (August 21, 1981).
643:Siskel, Gene (August 21, 1981).
379:as Associate Justice Harold Webb
349:as Associate Justice Ruth Loomis
343:as Associate Justice Daniel Snow
283:The death of Stanley Moorehead,
839:Fox, Thomas (August 21, 1981).
757:"First Monday is a last resort"
618:Janet Maslin (21 August 1981).
1227:Films directed by Ronald Neame
1:
1222:American films based on plays
1123:The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
571:was first released on DVD by
412:Olive Dunbar as Ms. Radabaugh
1242:1980s English-language films
729:"'Monday' timely but uneven"
217:, that is based on the 1978
785:"Reagan upstages Paramount"
289:United States Supreme Court
271:The film's title refers to
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605:"First Monday in October"
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146:August 21, 1981
34:Theatrical release poster
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1232:Paramount Pictures films
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1171:First Monday in October
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930:First Monday in October
706:St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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470:St. Louis Post-Dispatch
465:First Monday In October
258:First Monday in October
198:First Monday in October
70:First Monday in October
22:First Monday in October
1139:The Poseidon Adventure
1099:A Man Could Get Killed
1019:The Million Pound Note
875:San Francisco Examiner
818:Memphis Press-Scimitar
551:San Francisco Examiner
536:Memphis Press-Scimitar
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1115:Prudence and the Pill
1075:I Could Go On Singing
1027:The Man Who Never Was
846:The Commercial Appeal
542:The Commercial Appeal
219:play of the same name
1247:1980s American films
1237:Films about lawsuits
849:. Memphis, Tennessee
734:The Kansas City Star
573:Paramount Home Video
533:Edwin Howard of the
498:Jack Mathews of the
477:The Kansas City Star
1067:Escape from Zahrain
409:as Nebraska Senator
266:Sandra Day O'Connor
201:is a 1981 American
981:Films directed by
790:Detroit Free Press
501:Detroit Free Press
460:The China Syndrome
207:Paramount Pictures
132:Paramount Pictures
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1051:The Horse's Mouth
1003:Golden Salamander
418:Critical response
361:as Christine Snow
309:freedom of speech
285:Associate Justice
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251:feature film
247:Jan Sterling
215:Ronald Neame
211:Martha Scott
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190:$ 12,480,249
162:Running time
139:Release date
94:Martha Scott
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45:Ronald Neame
910:October 28,
881:October 28,
853:October 28,
824:October 28,
796:October 28,
768:October 28,
740:October 28,
712:October 28,
684:October 28,
656:October 28,
527:Henry Fonda
489:Jack Lemmon
442:Gene Siskel
401:Herb Vigran
88:Produced by
41:Directed by
1202:1981 films
1196:Categories
629:2009-01-10
591:References
564:Home video
504:observed:
392:Lew Palter
326:recovers.
187:Box office
166:98 minutes
150:1981-08-21
122:Ian Fraser
1163:Hopscotch
1011:The Card
579:See also
320:subpoena
179:Language
118:Music by
100:Starring
65:Based on
1131:Scrooge
444:of the
425:critic
304:liberal
287:of the
182:English
171:Country
148: (
1182:(1986)
1174:(1981)
1166:(1980)
1158:(1979)
1155:Meteor
1150:(1974)
1142:(1972)
1134:(1970)
1126:(1969)
1118:(1968)
1110:(1966)
1107:Gambit
1102:(1966)
1094:(1965)
1086:(1964)
1078:(1963)
1070:(1962)
1062:(1960)
1054:(1958)
1046:(1957)
1038:(1957)
1030:(1956)
1022:(1954)
1014:(1952)
1006:(1950)
998:(1947)
253:role.
237:) and
436:star
295:from
205:from
935:IMDb
912:2023
883:2023
855:2023
826:2023
798:2023
770:2023
742:2023
714:2023
686:2023
658:2023
334:Cast
279:Plot
225:and
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221:by
79:and
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