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A Civil Action (1998)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
8 January 1999 (USA)
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Tagline:
Justice has its price.
Plot:
The families of children who died sue two companies for dumping toxic waste: a tort so expensive to prove, the case could bankrupt their lawyer. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Lawyer
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Leukemia
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Lawsuit
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Settlement
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Toxic Waste
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Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars.
Another 5 wins
&
8 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(17 articles)
‘From Paris with Love’ Red Band Trailer
(From Screen Rant. 17 September 2009, 10:16 AM, PDT)
Gibson's Payback
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 9 February 1999)
(From Screen Rant. 17 September 2009, 10:16 AM, PDT)
Gibson's Payback
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 9 February 1999)
User Comments:
Straightforward legal case with environmental overtures...
more (169 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | John Travolta | ... | Jan Schlichtmann |
 | Robert Duvall | ... | Jerome Facher |
 | Tony Shalhoub | ... | Kevin Conway |
 | William H. Macy | ... | James Gordon |
 | Zeljko Ivanek | ... | Bill Crowley |
| Bruce Norris | ... | William Cheeseman |
 | John Lithgow | ... | Judge Walter J. Skinner |
 | Kathleen Quinlan | ... | Anne Anderson |
| Peter Jacobson | ... | Neil Jacobs |
 | Mary Mara | ... | Kathy Boyer |
 | James Gandolfini | ... | Al Love |
 | Stephen Fry | ... | Pinder |
 | Dan Hedaya | ... | John Riley |
| David Thornton | ... | Richard Aufiero |
 | Sydney Pollack | ... | Al Eustis |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some strong language.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
115 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
USA:PG-13 (certificate #36309) |
Iceland:L |
South Korea:12 |
Philippines:PG-13 |
Argentina:13 |
Australia:M (original rating) |
Australia:PG (TV rating) |
Chile:14 |
Finland:K-12 |
France:U |
Germany:12 (w) |
Norway:7 |
Peru:14 |
Portugal:M/12 |
Spain:T |
Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) |
Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) |
UK:15 |
Singapore:PG
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Based on a true story.
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Goofs:
Continuity: Towards the end of the movie, the newspaper that Anne is holding flips over and back again between shots.
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Quotes:
Jerome Facher:
[to law students] Now the single greatest liability a lawyer can have is pride. Pride... Pride has lost more cases than lousy evidence, idiot witnesses and a hanging judge all put together. There is absolutely no place in a courtroom for pride.
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Movie Connections:
Featured in The 56th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1999) (TV)
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Soundtrack:
Theme
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (169 total)
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John Travolta gives a dandy performance as a cocky Boston personal injury lawyer who heads up a small but burgeoning firm, almost passing up on headline-making case of a major food company subsidiary found to be dumping toxic chemicals into the water supply of a small-town Massachusettes town, causing many of the children there to get sick or die. Neatly directed and scripted film from Jonathan Harr's factual book allows for both legal statistics and some dry legal humor, and avoids exploiting an emotionally-wrenching theme (the death of children) for hug-tugging sentiment. The film is direct and compact, pausing only occasionally for a dramatic character turn, and is handsomely-made if not terrifically entertaining. Travolta and nemesis lawyer Robert Duvall (smiling like the Cheshire Cat) are wonderful to watch sparring with one another, and the specifics of the case are intriguing. **1/2 from ****