A popular and confident lawyer takes a simple divorce case with an even simpler remit – the wife is happy to pass on everything except one painting which she wants. The lawyer has no doubt this is an easy win, but quickly finds that this painting is item #1 on the husband's wish list too – which doesn't cut lot of mustard with his unreasonable client. As he tries every trick in the book to get the painting, his career, marriage, and general mental health all start to suffer in pursuit of this one case.
Although 20 minutes is a bit too long for what it does, this long- walk joke is nicely delivered because it makes the journey as amusing as the conclusion. I use the word amusing deliberately because this is not a hilarious comedy, but it is one that builds its scene well with good touches which have excess while still being grounded in the internal realism of the film. The macguffin of the painting runs for the majority of the film; it isn't important what it is, it is the immovable nature of it as a bargaining chip that is important. Around this the negotiations get harder and harder, while the lawyer's cocky personae is broken down in an engaging but amusing manner – it is not overly comic but not overly dark either, so it can be enjoyed as a sort of sketch.
The characters help the film work this angle – and help cover the longer than necessary running time. Lawyer Simon is well played out by Leffingwell, who is a broken man by the end of it, and sells the overall punch line even better as a result. He is well supported by colorful characters who mostly work. Eric Roberts was a surprise find, but his screen presence helps sell his oddly-specific character, even if that quirk is not quite as funny as the film thinks it is. The other lawyer, the wife, the secretary all work well. The writing gives plenty of ripe language and description, which is funny for what it is, and again adds to the overall joke. As a whole, it is well made – it looks very good, with good sound, locations, and casting throughout.
In the end it is perhaps not as good as the 20 minutes invested and resources on display, however it is still engaging and amusing, and the overall joke is nicely pitched to be satisfying and funny (if, again, not hilarious).
