SimonJack The proximity of the film, "First Monday in October," to the actual first female justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court is uncanny. Others have surmised how President's Reagan's announcement of Sandra Day O'Connor for the high bench (July 7, 1981) may have helped draw interest and attendance at this movie. The film debut was Aug. 21. Two days earlier, Reagan had submitted his formal nomination of O'Connor. No doubt, the film was still playing in theaters when the Senate confirmed her by a 99-0 vote on Sept. 21. This movie was based on a stage play that had a short run some time earlier. This might have been an interesting peek at the court and its first woman (fictional here, of course), but the script is so wishy- washy. The bones of contention in the film are weakly scripted. They seem so lame and might lead one to wonder why we have a Supreme Court at all. Now, had there been some issues with real substance, the plot might have been saved. Well, the writers and movie makers tried to drum up some interest with dialog that argued freedom of speech and differing views between members of the court. This and related confrontations were the "meat" of the story carried mostly by the two leads, Walter Matthau and Jill Clayburgh. The few humorous lines injected a little life into the film, but they were too mile and too few. The leads were fair with the material they had. But they might have put more energy into their roles as justices Dan Snow and Ruth Loomis. The best one can expect from this film is some light humor and an inside look at the Supreme Court building In Washington, D.C.

romanorum1 President Ronald Reagan's appointment of Sandra Day O'Connor as the first woman Supreme Court Justice in the USA in 1981 may have inspired this movie even though the original play was several years earlier. Jill Clayburgh stars as the unattached, conservative, and sprightly Ruth Loomis from California who remains undaunted as the new Justice. Co-star Walter Matthau (Dan Snow) is the cantankerous, veteran liberal Justice with whom she repartees on various legal issues. Obviously there are long dialog scenes. Snow is an advocate of free speech and expression. "I'll defend everybody's right to speak and every man's right to be wrong!" he exclaims. Snow also rails, "There are only eight of us left against all of her." There is one odd exchange delivered by Justice Loomis during her confirmation: "The F.B.I. is wrong in reporting to you that I have no children. Ideas are my children, and I have hundreds of them." Yikes! But, exhibiting good chemistry, both stars are at the top of their game. Clayburgh and Matthau are both quick-witted and likable. The movie was shot on location in the District of Columbia and also in California. As the plot is rather thin, the acting carries the movie. It is not bad, but it is also no classic.

preppy-3 This was made before Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court--the first woman ever to achieve that. Conservative Ruth Loomis (Jill Clayburgh) is appointed to the court when another justice passes away. She butts heads with liberal Dan Snow (Walter Matthau) over a pornography case.This was (I heard) based on a play and it shows. There are LONG sequences with people talking and cracking one-liners with each other. It doesn't hurt the film because the script is good with plenty of funny lines and interesting (it dated) observations. Also Barnard Hughes is excellent as another Chief Justice. But the film ultimately doesn't work. The main problem is Clayburgh and Matthau. They were both wonderful actors but they're at their worst here. They basically recite their lines with blank faces and no emotion. Also the two have no chemistry with each other and it comes through loud and clear. The film is flatly directed too. The R rating is kind of not needed. There's no violence or swearing but there are a few scenes from a porno film. While they are fairly graphic they're also pretty brief. All in all this is a mediocre comedy/drama. Fans of the two stars might want to check it out. I give it a 5.

Mr. Whispy You have to hand it to Walter Matthau, the older he gets, the more feisty his characters become!!This is a sorely underappreciated minor gem with two brilliant performances from Matthau and Clayburgh. Their chemistry is wonderful. All in all the film is clever, funny, original, and down right fun!!!If you happen to find this film at your local video store, check it out...its well worth discovering!